


Always Welcome Here

by gay_english_nerd



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Adrien is a poor hungry bb, Angst, F/M, Gabriel Agreste's A+ Parenting, Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Marichat, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Psychological Torture, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Torture, Whump, alya cesaire needs to check her sources, dont expect a redemption im sorry, gabriel agreste actually sucks, marinette is too good for this world, ml salt, no beta we die like women, this is my first fic, we all hate lila, why am i writing this instead of studying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2020-11-29 07:23:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 79,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20959583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gay_english_nerd/pseuds/gay_english_nerd
Summary: Adrien is forced on an extremely repressive diet and it makes heroing much harder. Marinette has lots of food and a very kind heart. What will happen when the meetups become regular? Maybe some... Marichat?





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Тебе всегда здесь рады](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25055557) by [White_Kingfisher](https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Kingfisher/pseuds/White_Kingfisher)

It was kind of ironic, wasn’t it? It was Marinette’s fault this whole situation was occurring, or, at least, that’s likely what his father would say. Marinette really couldn't help her kindness, and it wasn’t her fault that Adrien had greedily been gorging himself on the sweets she was bringing to class, but that was neither here nor there. 

It was only a few days ago when Adrien had been brought in for his model weigh in. It was one of the few events his father showed up for(virtually, of course), and while Adrien used to be nervous for these types of things, he’d long gotten over that fear and they were little more than a monthly annoyance. Adrien had stripped to his underclothing and stepped on the scale, patiently waiting to be dismissed. He expected it to go as usual and to be dismissed without further comment, but his father spoke up.

“3 ounces.” At first, Adrien thought he’d misheard. His father hardly ever spoke to him during these phone calls, and besides, he hadn’t gained weight beyond his expected limited ever. He glanced down at the scale in surprise, but sure enough, he was three ounces above his expected weight. 

“...Father? I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know what happened. I’ve been sticking to my diet, I swear…” This wasn’t entirely true; Marinette had been bringing him croissants from the bakery and who was he to say no to Dupain-Cheng sweets? His father didn’t need to know that, though, and he was keeping his form fine. 

“Step back on the scale, Adrien.” Adrien gulped as he stepped back up and waited for the scale to finish reading his weight. He glanced at Nathalie, whose face was as impressive as ever. He glanced down again. 3 ounces too much. Still. An audible sigh was heard from the tablet, and Adrien’s throat clenched. 

“Your new diet will be outlined for you by tonight by Nathalie. I assume that you’ve been receiving food from classmates?” Adrien didn’t answer. “Your diet will be sufficient to sustain you in your activities. If you continue taking food from your classmates, I will know. That will be all.” The call ended. 

Adrien’s new diet cut his original calorie intake by roughly half, and by the first day he was feeling woozy and tired. He did consider taking the croissants Marinette was bringing, but as he reached for the one she offered, Lila walked by and sweetly said “Oh, Adrien, you wouldn’t want to eat that, would you? Being a model and all, you wouldn’t want your father…” With a sinking feeling, Adrien set the croissant down, apologizing profusely to Marinette. 

Now it was a Thursday evening, and Chat Noir wasn’t holding up well at all. While that diet could theoretically sustain a teenage boy in the activities his father knows about, it certainly was way too little for a teenage superhero. Plagg had urged Adrien not to go out tonight, but it was his turn to patrol, and he was never one to let down his Lady. He just… needed some sustenance to keep going. 

Which is why he found himself pacing the rooftop across from Marinette’s balcony, unable to decide whether or not it was proper for a Parisian superhero to ask for food from a civilian. Chat’s enhanced senses allowed him to smell the aromas of bread wafting from the bakery, causing his mouth to water. He was going to do it because he really was feeling faint and Marinette wouldn’t mind, right? Chat vaulted over to her balcony, attempting to land silently. Instead, however, Chat clumped to his feet and stumbled to the lawn chair on her balcony, out of breath and dizzy. 

The hatch popped open and Marinette’s eyes peered out from the opening. 

“...Chat Noir? What are you doing here? Is there an akuma?” Marinette scrambled out of the trapdoor and out onto the balcony, scanning the horizon for signs of disturbance. “...Chat?”

“Oh, no, sorry, Marinette. I didn’t mean to, uh, crash into here unannounced, but, uh…” Chat tried to stand and set up some of the potted plants he had knocked over during his landing, but instead fell and caught himself on the railing of her balcony, pain stabbing at his head and stomach in tandem. 

“Chat! Are you alright? Ohmygod, what happened?” Marinette hefted Chat’s arm over her shoulder and helped lay him back down on the lawn chair. 

“I’m… alright. I swear. My ego’s just bruised I think.”

“You’re clearly not alright. You haven’t even made a pun yet! Chat, please.”

“I’m hungry.” His stomach rumbled to confirm his story. 

“Oh, Chat, you could’ve said so! Stay here and let me get you something, okay? Don’t do anything stupid.” Marinette started to disappear down her trap door. 

“Me? Stupid? Paw-lease…” 

Marinette came back up what felt like seconds later, carrying a tray of croissants, baguettes, and other sweets from the bakery below. She smiled sheepishly, setting them on the table.

“Sorry, Chat, I know you probably would’ve wanted something more… well, I don’t know, but we don’t really get to pick what the bakery has left at the end of the day. Is this enough? I can go get more if you need it.” Chat’s eyes widened at the array of sweets- this was more than he had been offered by his father in the past two days, and the fact that she was giving it all to him was a little overwhelming. He could hardly control himself as his hand darted out to grab croissant after croissant, working to quell the ache in his stomach. Marinette watched him warily.

“You know, maybe you shouldn’t finish patrol after this. You seemed awfully sick, and Ladybug can probably do without you tonight, right?” 

Chat shook his head, still chewing vigorously on a piece of sourdough bread. Once he’d swallowed, he said, “No. I- No. I promised her I’d patrol tonight, and she, ah- she needed tonight off for a family event or something, so, uh- I gotta finish patrol. You know.” He stuffed another piece of bread in his mouth to force himself to shut up. What he said wasn’t entirely true- they usually patrolled together on weekends, but Ladybug and him had worked out a patrol schedule that involved alternating on weeknights since they both agreed that they had regular lives to attend to during their weeks. While he knew Marinette was trustworthy, he wasn’t entirely sure how his Lady would feel about him revealing classified patrol information to a civilian, especially a civilian with a direct connection to the Ladyblogger.  
Marinette watched him carefully. “Well, maybe Paris could go without you tonight, Chat. I mean, how much do you usually spot on patrols? Plus, I’m sure the police force could handle anything that comes up.” 

Chat, suddenly uncomfortable, brushed the crumbs that had accumulated on his lap off and began to stand. “No, really, I’m fine. I’ll just finish up with patrol and-”

He was cut off as he stumbled, head rush hitting him hard. It wasn’t as bad as he had been, but he really wasn’t in any condition. Marinette was by his side in an instant, ushering him back down to her lawn chair. She grabbed another pastry, this one a cheese-smelling one(Plagg would be thrilled) and placed it in his hand.

“Chat. You can’t help Ladybug if you fall off a roof and break your neck, now can you?” Chat stayed silent, taking a bite of pastry. Mon Dieu, it was good, and he was hungry. 

“Thank you for the pastries, Marinette. I can come back with payment some other time- I’m so sorry to intrude- you’re right, I really should be getting back-” Chat got up again this time, this time much slower and with Marinette’s support. He still felt a little dizzy, but he figured he would be well enough to make it back home without issue. He finished the pastry he was holding and climbed over the railing of her balcony. 

“Wait- Chat-” Marinette sighed. It was a victory to keep him from patrol, but she thought she’d be pushing her luck to ask him to stay until he’d recovered a bit. “Just… Just be careful, alright? You’re welcome back here anytime.” She offered him a smile, and he smirked, his tail flicking playfully.

“Merci, Purrincess, but you’re too kind. I really should get going. Au revoir!”

Chat took off. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“That was… strange, wasn’t it, Tikki?” Marinette was staring off in the direction Chat had disappeared, Tikki’s eyes peering out at her from her purse. 

“...I think so, Marinette. You did the right thing.” Marinette furrowed her brow, turning away from the railing and pacing back and forth. 

“Well, I know he needed to eat, but what’s wrong? Chat-he- It just seems out of character, you know? I feel like something had to have been really wrong and he looked so sick-”

“Marinette, there’s nothing we can do right now. Chat can take care of himself.”

Marinette plopped down on her lawn chair, tugging at her hair. “But Tikki-” She sighed again, working through the possibilities in her head. Tikki always admired that about her chosen. While Marinette had the tendency to be a little dramatic and she sometimes catastrophized, she was a planner and good under pressure. Tikki wasn’t going to lie and say she wasn’t worried about Adrien, but she trusted Marinette to devise a plan to look after Chat, and until then, Plagg would have to do. 

“You’re right, Tik. We have patrol together tomorrow, so maybe I’ll see how he’s doing then. I doubt he’ll come back here unless he’s desperate, but I’ll deal with that when the time comes.” She sighed and stood again, gazing at the plate of crumbs.

“That’s the spirit! Come on, we’ve got physics to do!” At the mention of her abandoned homework, Marinette sprang up and hurried down her trap door, worries temporarily set aside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all- adding this because I think many of you will enjoy it. This is the link to the [Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks). We have a lot of fun and we provide support for readers, writers, and artists! If you're interested, you're always welcome(haha)!


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An akuma attacks, and Chat is a little off his game.

Marinette rushed into school the next day only 30 seconds before the bell, out of breath and holding bag of croissants. She slid into her seat behind Adrien as Alya shakes her head at her almost tardiness. 

“I mean, I’m not technically late!” Marinette protested, handing her a croissant. 

“Yeah, yeah, technicalities.” Marinette passed a croissant to Nino in return for a fistbump and then tapped Adrien on the shoulder, ready to hand him one. She had been getting better at nonverbal interactions like this one, where her mess of a mouth-brain connection couldn’t get her into trouble. 

Adrien turned around, an odd air to his movements, and reached for her offered croissant, but Lila walked in after the bell and he shook his head as Lila began her apologetic monologue. 

“Oh, Mme. Bustier, I’m so sorry I was late! It’s my arthritis, it was making it hard for me with my backpack and my locker, and oh, I’m so sorry!”

“It’s alright, Lila. You may sit down now.” Mme. Bustier smiled gently at her student as she took her seat. Lila, after much rearranging, now sat in the third row behind Marinette and moved up whenever Marinette was absent or late. It wasn’t Lila’s ideal arrangement, and Marinette didn’t like it either, but it was better than what was arranged the day Chameleon struck. Sighing, Marinette let her mind wander as she sketched in her sketchbook, completely ignoring the class she was supposed to be taking notes in. She usually did pay attention in Literature, since she found it interesting and generally did well with it, but her mind was consumed with other things today, and she could trust Alya to lend her her notes. 

The argument ended up being moot when an akuma attacked halfway through Mme. Bustier’s class. The attacks were so common now that the class was unfazed; in fact, whoops and cheers could be heard through the halls as classes were cancelled.

“Alright, girl, I’m going to go and film. Wanna come with or do I need to commission Nino?” Both girls looked at the boy, who’s eyes widened as he begged Marinette silently for help he wouldn’t receive. 

“Actually, ah, I wanted to make a batch of, um, macaroons! Yeah, this is the perfect time to do it. Gotta go!” With a wave, Marinette raced out of the classroom, diving into the nearest broom closet before transforming. 

The akumatized civilian was someone calling themselves Createboarder, a distraught skateboarder who was angry that he was unable to skateboard around some of Paris’s monuments. He flew on a hoverboard-like item, creating ramps over monuments and turning Paris into one great skate park. He also was able to force people to skateboard by forcibly attaching a skateboard to their feet and putting them on one of the many ramps and obstacles already created. Every successful shot seemed to give him a burst of speed. Overall, chaos. 

“Give it up, Createboarder!” Ladybug had observed all this from within the beams of the Eiffel Tower, and from her yoyo she had seen Chat Noir quickly approaching from the other direction. As she hoped, the akumatized villian’s attention whipped her way, and she dodged a blast shot from the tip of the floating skateboard. She watched surreptitiously as Chat’s dark figure came from the opposite direction, glancing back just in time to avoid another blast from the villain. She threw her yoyo higher, pulling herself further up the Eiffel Tower. She let her eyes shift to Chat, who was now launching himself at the villain. 

She let out a shriek when he missed by about a foot, thrown off by some bad footing, and was sent tumbling out of the air towards the hard ground. She whipped her yoyo out and caught Chat around the middle, holding on to her beam of the tower with her legs wrapped firmly around it. Createboarder, seizing his opportunity, sent a beam directly at Ladybug, who was in no position to escape. Making quick calculations, she dropped Chat, whipped herself out of the way and grabbed him again, pulling him straight to her side before swinging away from the battlefield. 

Createboarder pursued, of course, but Ladybug was quick and she and Chat ducked into an abandoned alleyway and lost him almost immediately. Chat looked as if he was about to be sick, and Ladybug’s worry from the night before grew, but she wasn’t going to let on that she knew anything was off. 

“Alright. Let’s regroup. Um, akuma is in the hoverboard, which is also where he gets his power from, right? Maybe it’s time for a you-know-what…”

“I… Think you’re right, M’Lady. Let’s try to finish this one up quick, alright?” Chat tried his signature smirk, but it seemed off and strained. Ladybug pretended she didn’t notice. 

“Amen. Lucky Charm!” A bin of ultra-sticky putty fell into Ladybug’s outstretched arms, and she frowned, her eyebrows furrowing as she considered her surroundings. Sighing as no plan lit up her vision, she wrapped the tub under her arm and shook her head at Chat. 

“Nothing just yet. You okay to go after him again, or do we want to wait a few minutes and see if we think of anything?” Ladybug knew she was pushing it- she wouldn’t be suggesting this if she didn’t know Chat wasn’t well, but she figured it could be excused. Chat plasted on a fake smile and shook his head, taking the lead out of the alley. 

“Come on, M’lady. We can’t let this trickster get the jump on us, now can we?” Ladybug frowned at his unsteady gait, but she followed nonetheless. Chat could take care of himself, and he’d come to her if he needed it. Right?

“Let’s go to the Eiffel Tower. I think I have a plan, and we’ll have time to set a trap.” Chat nodded, and then the two superheroes were off, sprinting and leaping across rooftops to reach the iron support of the famous landmark. Ladybug surveyed her surroundings as she formed a plan. 

“Alright, Chat, this one’s… A little tough, if I’m being honest. Hopefully, Createboarder isn’t the smartest.” She quickly relayed her complicated plan to Chat, ignoring his dubious expression. It was complicated, but she had to make it work. 

Chat set off in search of Createboarder, and Ladybug started building the trap. She stuck putty to the upper inside edges of the scaffolding and then sat in one of the upper beams to wait. Her yoyo dangled down through the center of the ground arches. She heard Chat’s whooping cries long before she saw him. As he came closer and closer to the trap she had set, he stayed lower and lower towards the ground, until it became clear that Createboarder would need to pursue him under the Eiffel Tower. Chat dove, and suddenly Ladybug’s yoyo tangled itself around him. Createboarder grinned. 

“Chat!” Ladybug cried out, watching as Createboarder aimed a blast at the tied up hero. As the shot soared at him, Ladybug suddenly retracted her yoyo, dropping Chat to the ground and sending the blast at the edge of the Eiffel Tower. 

Perfect. 

Createboarder was going too quickly to stop his momentum, and he went barreling towards the ramp, which sent him up into the stick of the putty lining the underside of the first platform. Chat called up his cataclysm and pulverized the skateboard, releasing a butterfly. Ladybug purified it and threw up her putty box, setting Paris back to normal. 

Grinning, Ladybug dropped from the scaffolding and held out her fist for Chat to bump. “Pound it!” The civilian, now coming to his senses, had gotten up and was with the task force for dealing with Akuma victims. Ladybug glanced in his direction, but he seemed placated, and her earrings were beeping. 

“I’ll see you at patrol tonight, M’lady!” Chat was already backing away from the scene, pointing to his flashing ring before extending his staff and taking off. Ladybug followed, headed in a slightly different direction to detransform in a nearby alley. 

“Tikki, I don’t think he’s alright. He was… off balance? I don’t know.” Tikki flew up to look at Marinette’s worried face, her blue orbs swirling thoughtfully as she considered her holder. 

“Okay, Marinette. Let’s get back to school, alright? Afterwards we can figure out what to do, okay? We’ll work on it together!” Marinette smiled at her hopeful Kwami before pulling a cookie out of her purse. 

“School it is, I guess. Hope Nino’s not going to kill me for bailing on the videoing…”

Tikki giggled and ducked back into Marinette’s purse as she began the walk back to school. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Before she knew it, school was out, and Marinette was running home to copy down all the notes she hadn’t taken during class. It wasn’t in anyone’s best interest to space out during class, but it was really just dumb for a part-time superhero who was pressed for time as it was. Marinette sighed, cursing her past self before checking the clock. She was supposed to meet Chat to patrol at 20:00, and it was it 16:30 now. She needed to hurry if she wanted to copy down all her notes and get some homework done before patrol tonight. 

Time flew by, and before Marinette knew it Tikki was tapping her arm and gesturing to her trapdoor. Nodding at her kwami, she ran the opposite direction to the bakery, collecting baguettes, pastries, and a few other, more substantial treats for Chat and putting them in a bag. She took the stairs two at a time as she went back up to her room, grinning all the way. She scribbled something on a slip of paper and slipped in in the bag with the food before folding the top over and stapling it shut.

“Uh, Marinette, it’s a very sweet gesture, but you’re going to be Ladybug, and…” Tikki fiddled with her paws nervously. It was unlike her holder to underthink things, but it wasn’t unheard of- when it came to the guy she liked, Marinette could be brash, and Tikki had the feeling that Marinette liked Chat Noir more than she knew. 

Marinette, however, just smiled calmly. “Don’t worry, Tikki, I’ve thought this through. Tikki, spots on!” 

Now transformed, Ladybug grabbed the bag resting on her desk and climbed up to her balcony. She knew that swinging with the bag of sweets would be awkward, so she spent a few minutes positioning it under her arm before swinging towards the Eiffel Tower, where she knew Chat would be waiting. 

Sure enough, Chat was waiting patiently for her when she landed. It had been a rough day- the diet hadn’t been changed, and he was still expected to do all his normal activities with it. Today was also his first akuma attack on the diet. He did want to patrol with his Lady tonight, but he was dizzy and hungry and oh my god what was she carrying?

“Hey, Chaton! Sorry to keep you waiting- it turns out you have a fan, and she wanted me to bring you something. I mean, I wouldn’t usually expend energy to inflate your ego by gifting you something, and really, most fans have useless gifts, but this girl seemed very insistent so I figured hey, why not?” Ladybug pretended she didn’t notice the way Chat was staring at the bag she was holding. She offered it to him, smiling. “Also, I know we usually patrol tonight, but I had to excess energy earlier so I already patrolled… If you really want to, we can go again, but why don’t you just go home and enjoy that fan gift from Marinette?” She ignored the way his cat ears perked up and his tailed flicked at her civilian name. 

“M’lady…” she held her breath, watching him sway a little bit and waiting for him to disagree, “...I think you’re right. Carrying this around might get a little clunky, you know?” Ladybug nodded, smiling. 

“Well, I’ve got some physics to finish. See you tomorrow, alright?”

“Cat-ch you later!” Ladybug gasped indignantly, but Chat was already gone. Ladybug grinned and swung off to her balcony. Paris could survive one night without the superheroes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, second chapter! I had Yom Kippur off today, so I spent some time working on this fic. Thanks for all the support already- It means a lot! I'll try to get the next chapter up this weekend.


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is a BAMF and also doesn't want our poor kitty to starve

Ladybug quickly realized, however, that getting home was going to be a tad more difficult that she planned for. Chat Noir seemed intent on seeing Marinette, and he was staking out the roof across from her balcony. She sighed, shaking her head. Obviously, it wasn’t possible for her to detransform the way she usually did with Chat on the lookout like he was. The question was how far of a detour she would need to take to avoid Chat’s attention. While she wasn’t designed for stealth, she could usually get by despite her bright red suit and lingering civilian clumsiness. However, she stood no chance against Chat’s superhuman senses.

She pulled out her yoyo, however, and used the camera to zoom in on Chat. He was sitting, and she smiled slightly as she noticed him digging into the food she had prepared.

“Silly kitty.” She turned and darted the other direction, diving into an alley to detransform and begin the long walk home.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chat was waiting. The lights in her window were yet to come on, but she had to be home soon, right? It was dark, and if she wasn’t home, where was she?

  
Chat took a bite into another croissant(she really was an angel) and pulled out the note again, reading the scrawl with a smile.

  
_Chat, _  
_The bakery makes too much food to sell out in one day. The leftovers_  
_don’t often go to good use. It would be a favor to us if you came and ate _  
_some sometime. I’ll leave some leftovers out for you each night. _  
_You’re always welcome here. _  
_-Marinette_

  
She had drawn cartoonish cat faces next to his name, and he couldn’t help but smile at her kindness. She truly was an everyday Ladybug.

  
A noise down below, almost immediately below him, startled him out of his stupor. His eyes were drawn to Marinette, who had tripped on an uneven sidewalk that she wasn’t able to see in the dark. Chat instinctively vaulted over to her, ignoring any lingering dizziness, and steadied her.

  
“Woah, Chat, what’s up? Are you alright? Do you need more food? I can go get more from the bakery, I-” Marinette regained her balance almost immediately and Chat started feeling a little sheepish for jumping in so quickly.

  
“Oh, uh- I saw you trip, and I just, um. Wanted to make sure you were alright.” Chat rubbed his neck. Somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to put up that suave front that he usually did as Chat with her- she was so sincere, and it would feel like a betrayal. Marinette smiled slightly and continued walking.

  
“Say, what are you doing out at this hour? Marinette, it’s 9 pm and it’s dark out!” Marinette’s eyes widened and she tripped again, this time over nothing. Chat caught her, setting her upright.

  
“I was… Fabric shopping! There was this fabric shop I wanted to get to before it closed tonight. I have this big commission I need to get working on and there’s this baby blue fabric…” Marinette sighed. This wasn’t entirely a lie- she actually passed the aforementioned fabric shop on her walk back, and she saw the fabric in the window there. Unfortunately, it was closed, since it was a small boutique, and it wasn’t like Marinette had time for shopping.

  
“Where’s the fabric then?” Chat gestured to her empty arms and Marinette laughed a little bit.

  
“I got there a little late. Felicia’s-that’s the store- closes earlier on Fridays apparently. It’s alright. I’m busy tonight anyways.” Marinette shrugged and crossed her arms, feeling slightly uncomfortable in her half-lie.

  
Chat suddenly realized how far she’d walked and swept her up bridal style. “Wha- Chat! Hey!” Marinette laughed, squirming in Chat’s arms.

  
“Relax, Purrincess, I’m just taking you to your balcony. Least I can do, right?” With that, Chat vaulted up towards her roof. Marinette clutched on tighter than she would’ve liked to admit- it was the complete opposite motion of what she was used to, and she was also used to being in control of said motion.

  
It wasn’t surprising, then, when she jumped out of his arms as soon as they hit her balcony and clutched her railing for support. Chat chuckled a little but went over to rub her back.

  
“You alright? It can be a little… Nauseating, I guess.” Marinette smiled, but she looked a little pale and quickly opted to sit down.  
“So, Chat, what brings you here tonight?”

  
Chat rubbed his neck. It was a nervous habit he had picked up as Adrien, and his father detested it.

  
“Well, the thing is, Marinette… It’s very nice of you to leave me food and stuff, but…”

  
Marinette shook her head. “Chat, no. You’re a hero of Paris. I don’t know what’s going on at home or why you need this food, but you do. Now, here’s the thing. I’ll be leaving a plate out for you every night at about eight, or whenever is most convenient for you. I’m expecting you to come and eat it until your food situation is resolved, and after that, you’re still welcome back whenever. If you don’t come, I’m going to have a rodent issue, which will not be fun for me or my parents. You hear me?”

  
Chat stared. Despite her menacing glare and tone, the sentiment was incredibly sweet. The last time someone had put that much effort into his well being was when his mom was still healthy. Tears, unbidden, came to his eyes and he quickly blinked them back.

  
“But… I mean, you know what they say about strays, right? If you feed them, they’ll keep on coming back…” Chat had been going for a joke, but his words came out more dejected than intended.

  
“That’s kind of what I’m going for here, kitten. Now, I want a list of some of your preferences. I can’t make any promises, but if you like things with, say, cheese, I could probably bring more of those up. Sound good?” Chat nodded. His throat felt tight, and he didn’t trust himself to speak coherently. He knew Marinette was kind, but she had never really been able to get out a full sentence around him as Adrien, and this was beyond kind.

  
She smiled and got up, the color having returned to her face. “Alright, Chat. I should head to bed. Early morning in the bakery tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by and I expect to see you tomorrow night, alright?” Dropping down into her trapdoor, she waved, and then she was gone. Her light was out a few seconds later, and Chat was left alone to ponder what a wonder of a girl Marinette Dupain-Cheng was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Super short chapter, I know. I've been slammed this weekend with group projects and tests. Thanks so much for being awesome and I absolutely love reading your theories in the comments! Thanks again!


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien goes on a mission to get his princess some fabric. Cause that's what you do for a friend, right?

Adrien had a mission. Sure, Marinette had said that he had to be there and eat her food, and he had (nonverbally agreed), but she hadn’t said that he couldn’t make it worth her time. So here he was, standing outside Felicia’s, waiting for it to open. Unfortunately, he had gravely misjudged when it would open, and it was five o’clock in the morning and he was dumb. 

“Kiddddddd. Kid. Why in Camembert’s name did we come here so early? Did you even check the store hours before coming? Come on, it’s coldddd!” Plagg whined from inside Adrien’s shirt. It was true that Adrien hadn’t really thought it through that clearly- after hours of staring at his ceiling last night, the idea came to him and he rolled over, set his alarm, and promptly fell asleep, giving the rational side of his brain no time to argue with the Marinette-infatuated side of his brain. 

_ Infatuated? Really?  _ Adrien shook his head, dispelling his thoughts before turning away. The store showed no signs of opening soon, and he was pretty sure he had an early photoshoot this morning, so he turned away and ducked into a nearby alley before transforming and beginning the journey home. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The photoshoot was nearly over, and after that he was sure he could make an excuse to run to Felicia’s and buy the fabric. His father had always approved somewhat of Marinette, and if it were fashion related, he could surely get away with a twenty minute excursion to a fabric shop if asked about it. 

“Attention, Adrien! Dark, brooding, handsome! That’s it! Yes! More, Adrien, more!” Vincent, his photographer, cried out. Adrien resumed his posing, hoping for time to speed up. Finally, he was done. 

“We should have enough for today, Adrien. Next week is the winter line, no?” Adrien nodded and waved goodbye, entering the limousine with Gorilla. 

“Excuse me, could we possibly make a detour to Felicia’s Fabric Boutique?” Gorilla grunted, and Adrien took that as a yes. He leaned back slightly in his seat, staring out the window. Suddenly, a ping from his phone drew his attention to it, and he groaned aloud.  _ An akuma attack? Now? _

“Actually, uh, I… left my bag at the shoot! I’ll just run and get it! Thanks again!” Adrien opened the car door and darted out without confirmation, running to the nearest alleyway before letting Plagg out of his shirt pocket.

“Alright, Plagg, let’s do this quickly. Claws out!” Dark energy swirled over Adrien as his transformation took hold, leaving Chat Noir in his place. He took off, headed towards the Louvre, where the akuma was last spotted. He landed beside his Lady, who was considering the situation. The akuma was an androgynous figure in reflective gear, shooting beams from a pair of glasses that seemed to blind the victim. 

“Well, eye see this person is making quite a spectacle of themselves, aren’t they?” Chat smirked as his Lady groaned, turning away from him.

“Okay, so we can bet that the akuma is in their glasses,  _ non? _ Want to just…” Ladybug gestured at the villain below them. 

“Iris-k not being able to use all of my cornea puns, but eye agree with you. Alash, all those good jokes…” Ladybug playfully slapped him on the arm, but he didn’t miss the slight smile that graced her lips. 

“On my count. 3… 2… 1…” The two flew into battle, tackling the villain from his perch on the glass pyramid. The fight, if you could even call it that, ended exceedingly quickly- in a matter of a few seconds, Ladybug had the akumatized civilian’s hands behind their back and Chat plucked their glasses off their face. Snapping them in two, Chat released the dark butterfly from it’s object, and Ladybug caught it in her yoyo and purified it. Not having a lucky charm, Ladybug tossed her yoyo in the air and yelled her magic phrase, returning the city back to its former state. Grinning, she turned to her partner. 

“Pound it!” She inspected Chat’s face, and he certainly looked better than he did the day before, which was a win in her eyes. 

“Alright, M’lady, good job. I really should be headed off, but I don’t know if I can make 22:00 patrol tonight…” Ladybug’s eyes widened, suddenly realizing how stupid she was for her scheduling error.

“Oh, uh, that’s alright, Chat. Thanks for letting me know! Bug out!” 

Ladybug was already a few blocks away before she realized that meant Chat was planning on coming back, and her whoop for joy was heard all the way back at the Louvre. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adrien made it back to a thoroughly annoyed Gorilla with just ten minutes before his next scheduled item. He thought it was a piano lesson…? Or something?

Needless to say, he was not able to convince his driver to take him to Felicia’s until after the piano lesson, and he was antsy the whole time. What if someone bought the fabric before he got there? What if he got there, but they didn’t have the right fabric, so he had to settle for a cheap, ugly, off-brand version of something and Marinette hated him forever afterward and-

Adrien winced as he hit a bad note and looked up at his piano teacher's disapproving face. 

“Adrien, again! Where is your mind, Adrien? Focus!” Adrien resisted the urge to say he didn’t want to and restarted the piece, this time playing it perfectly. 

Finally, the lesson was over, and his teacher looked at him disapprovingly before shaking his head and leaving. Adrien jumped up and closed the door, realizing he had roughly twenty minutes scheduled in for lunch which he could use to transform and get the fabric. 

He scarfed down the food Nathalie had left him(there wasn’t very much of it) and called Plagg to transform, much to his dismay, before vaulting across rooftops to reach his destination. He dropped down in a now-familiar alleyway and detransformed, walking quickly  across the street to Felicia’s. 

He was met with more disappointment as he read the sign in the doorway. 

_ Out for Lunch. Be back in an hour! _

Adrien huffed, defeated. He didn’t have time to wait around for someone to come and open the door for him, but he also knew his afternoon was booked out, and he really,  _ really _ wanted to get this to her before tonight. He lifted up the paper with the damning message to read the store hours. According to the sticker on the door, it closed at 19:30 on Saturdays, so maybe he could leave dinner early and sneak out to get to Felicia’s? It would be a stretch, but it wasn’t as if his father ate with him anyways, and this fabric was more important to him than the consequences right now. Sighing, Adrien turned and ran, transforming again before taking off and heading back home. 

When dinnertime arrived, Adrien hesitantly approached Nathalie. Usually, the routine for these dinners was him, sitting at the end of a long dinner table, and Nathalie, standing in the corner stoically, monitoring him and his portion sizes. 

“Nathalie, do you mind if I… May I take dinner in my room tonight? I would like to continue to review my mandarin.” 

Nathalie regarded him with cool indifference. “Very well, Adrien. I’ll alert your father to the change.” Adrien nodded, holding back a less pleasant retort before moving his plate to his room. Once he got there, he closed his door behind him, shoveled the food into his mouth, and transformed(Plagg was going to have  _ words _ with him when today was over). Chat darted across the rooftops, very aware of the fact that he only had 8 minutes, 7 minutes, 6 minutes… 

He arrived at Felicia’s with only a few minutes to spare and saw the shop keeper closing up.  _ Fuck, fuck fuckfuckfuckfuck.  _ He didn’t have time to go and detransform, he needed that fabric…

Before he even thought the plan through, he had jumped down from his perch on the rooftop and was bounding up to the store owner. 

“Wait!” He cried, startling the owner into dropping his keys. “Uh, sorry. I just… I need to buy some fabric.”

Ten minutes later, Chat Noir was bounding across the rooftops with three rolls of the baby blue fabric under his arm. He was sure he looked insane, but that was an issue for another day. He had to say, Marinette had good taste. The fabric was high quality and a beautiful color, and Chat would be shocked if she didn’t make it big soon. 

He landed on her balcony gracefully, checking the time on his staff to see it was still about 15 minutes before their agreed-upon meeting time. Marinette’s light was on, but Chat didn’t want to disturb her, so he carefully placed the fabric against the railing of her balcony, so she’d see it when she came up, and curled up on her lawn chair, purring. 

Marinette was in the bakery, gathering up food for Chat. While she didn’t know if Chat himself liked cheese, Tikki told her that his kwami did, so she added plenty of cheese danishes and pastries to the plate for the poor thing. She had also requested a larger portion at dinner, much to her parents’ delight- they were convinced she was finally on the edge of a growth spurt, never mind the fact that she was almost sixteen. She had taken the extra pasta with meat sauce and veggies up to her room, and while they were cold now, she figured Chat wouldn’t care that much. 

Once she had completed the plate, she carried it the stairs to her room, sneakily avoiding her preoccupied parents. It was a little bit of a struggle to climb her ladder while balancing the food, but she managed, and soon, she was unhinging her trapdoor. 

The sound of wood hitting wood startled Chat to a more awake state, and he sat upright as Marinette’s head popped up from below. 

“Chat! You came!” She ducked down again, coming back up with two plates of food. “This one,” she gestured to the plate with the pasta, “Is what you should eat here- sorry, it’s a little cold. The other one has some other stuff for after but you need nutrients, so eat up!” Marinette suddenly felt awkward and turned away, but her eyes caught on the rolls of fabric stashed up against her railing. 

“Oh, my god, Chat, you shouldn’t have! How much did this cost, kitty? This- Chat, this is too kind, I-” Chat stood, beaming at her joy. Suddenly, she turned and collided with him, hugging him with all her might. Chat froze. How long had it been since someone hugged him? Since someone touched him with affection? Since someone-?

“It wasn’t too much trouble, right?” The words came out as little more than a whisper, but Chat heard. He relaxed slightly, bringing his arms around her back.

“No trouble at all, purrrincess.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter wasn't TOO drawn out... I probably won't post for another few days or so- I have about 6 tests this week and wayyyy too much to do, plus a 12 hour dance thing on Saturday. Anyway, I literally love Marichat and I also love hearing from you guys! Thanks again!


	5. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little Adrienette to get you through your day :).

It had been a week of Adrien refusing Marinette’s croissants, and Marinette knew something was up. She had gotten up earlier today to grab him a chocolate croissant, his absolute favorite, and rushed to the school, expecting to be able to convince him to eat. To her shock, when Adrien saw the croissant his face only fell. She followed his line of sight back to one Lila Rossi, smiling sweetly back down at them. She nearly growled.

“Sorry, Marinette. Really, stop bringing them for me, alright?” He smiled at her and her heart almost melted, but it was his model smile, and she hated that. Sighing, she turned back to the class, stowing the croissant away for later. Clearly, her work feeding helpless, malnourished, hot blonde boys was not done.

Adrien was held back after class by Mme. Bustier to talk about some assignments he had missed due to a photo shoot, so Marinette seized her opportunity, grabbing Nino and Alya by the arms and dragging them to a far corner of the schoolyard before lunch began. 

“It’s Lie-la, I’m telling you!” Marinette knew she probably shouldn’t have led with that, and she watched her friends roll their eyes and start backing away. Frantically, she waved her arms, trying to dispel what she had just said. “No, I mean- Adrien, he-”  _ Shoot.  _ While Alya was looking at her sympathetically now, Marinette knew she had just confirmed Alya’s suspicion. 

“Look, girl, while I’m totally an Adrienette shipper, Adrien will choose who he’ll choose. You gotta stop being so hostile to Lila. She’s actually really nice!”

“Yeah, dude. She even offered to show my music to some producers she knows! It’s so cool!” Marinette resisted the urge to call out the obvious lie in Nino’s comment, trying to regain their support. 

“No, that’s not what I meant- I just-” Marinette gesture wildly, tripping over her words. “I mean, Adrien’s not eating my croissants anymore.” She was met with silence. Sighing, she continued. “He used to always eat them- remember? He didn’t get a good breakfast at home- that’s why I brought them in the first place. He was always so happy- well. Now, he seems like he wants to take it, but he never does.” Alya still seemed confused, and was about to articulate that, when Nino butt in. 

“I guess… You’re right. That is kinda… He was telling me about this new diet his old man had him on a few days ago, so you’d think he’d be more willing to eat your croissants, right? I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t want them now that-”

Lila slinked by, interrupting the conversation. “Sorry, guys, I couldn’t help but overhear…” She smiled sweetly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “You know, maybe Adrien just doesn’t like your parents’ bakery anymore, Marinette. I heard there’s a new one across town that’s just superb…” With that, she walked away, smirking as she went. Marinette clenched her fists as Nino frowned.

“Nah, that can’t be it. He constantly raves about your macaroons, Marinette, and besides, his dad wouldn’t let him go anywhere. Anyways, what’s your point?”

Having Nino, at least, listen to her, made her release her anger and take a deep breath. “Right. Well, I think there’s someone spying on him during our class period. I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve been testing it out. Every time I bring one in, he almost takes it, but then looks off-” Marinette didn’t specify that it was at Lila, “and refuses. I think he forgets that he’s being watched.” 

Nino shook his head, laughing a little. “Alright, so what’s your plan?” Marinette glanced at Alya, who looked more on board now that Lila was left out of it. 

Marinette grinned.

The next day, the plan was ready. Marinette was bouncing on her toes before class as she carried her book bag into class. She was early to school today by a good fifteen minutes, causing her parents to rejoice. Now, she was standing in the courtyard, waiting for Nino and Alya. 

“Girl, you actually came early! Are you sure you’re alive? Do you have the croissant-book?” 

Marinette shushed the laughing girl, looking around for any traces of Lila. Thankfully, there were none. “Alya, remember. Do not, and I repeat, do not tell anyone. Okay? Anyone! Promise me?” Marinette swing her bookbag down to the ground and was rifling through it, but she paused to stare at her friend. 

“Alright, alright, I promise. Journalist’s code of honor.” Marinette nodded, appeased, and pulled out the book from her bag. It was an old history textbook from her bag that she knew she wouldn’t need anymore. It had been substantially heavier when it had contained the insides of the pages; now, the middle was carved out and lined with emerald green synthetic microfiber fabric from a project she had been working over the summer. She opened the book, placed the croissant inside, and closed it, handing it to Alya. 

“You remember the plan?”

“Yeah, yeah. I give it to Nino, he handles the rest. Are we good?” Marinette threw her arms around Alya, smiling. 

“Thanks again, Al. You truly are the best.” 

“I know I am. Now, do you need my physics homework answers?” Marinette paused as she reached for her backpack. 

“...There was physics homework?” 

  
  


Marinette did, in fact, finish her homework(with Alya’s help, of course), and managed to make it to class on time. Sitting down in her seat, she waited Adrien to arrive to truly sell the entire act. When he finally slid into his seat, Marinette tapped him on the shoulder, holding a croissant. 

“Are you sure you don’t want one, Adrien?” Her voice was louder than usual, drawing Lila’s attention. If she wanted to make this work, she had to convince the spy that Adrien wasn’t eating the croissants. 

He smiled sadly, shaking his head. “No thanks, Marinette. Really, stop bringing them for me.” Marinette nodded. Perfect. She offered the croissant to Alya instead, who greedily gobbled it, and offered a separate one to Nino, who had just sat down. She anxiously awaited the exchange, but Mme. Bustier walked in and began class at that exact moment, causing Marinette to wince and internally curse. Sighing, she pulled out her notebook, resigned to note taking.

Adrien was focused on Mme. Bustier’s lecture when he felt a kick on his leg. He glanced over at Nino, who was now passing him a Post-it. He slid it under the desk to read it. 

_ thx for letting me borrow ur history textbook  _

_ retaking classes sux but whatever _

Adrien looked up in confusion. Nino hadn’t had to retake any classes last summer, and he certainly hadn't given him his textbook to use. Before he could write a response, however, Nino grabbed the note and stuck it on the front of something from his backpack, which he passed to Adrien under the desk. Sure enough, it was last year’s history textbook, but it certainly wasn’t his. He felt another sharp kick to his leg and shot a glare at Nino before opening the book. 

He gasped. The inside had been cut out and replaced with fabric and a croissant. Nino passed him another Post-it, which read:

_ it was mari’s idea _

He shouldn’t have been surprised, really, but her kindness shocked him every time. He glanced back at her quickly, noticing that she was… definitely not taking notes. He suppressed a chuckle and decided that he’d send her the notes as a thank you, as if that was enough. He grinned at Nino, who was smirking at him for some reason. Nino took the note back and scribbled on it quickly again. 

_ give the book back after class and  _

_ we’ll do it again tmrw, k _

Adrien nodded, ripping off a small piece of the croissant and putting it into his mouth before returning to his notes, diligently copying everything down to send to Marinette in between bites of croissant. 

_ That girl really is something.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient during my very busy week! I did mostly okay on my tests, but the grind never stops, so I had more this week and more next week :(. It's alright though! 
> 
> This is a short chapter of mostly just some adrienette fluff. For Alya in this chapter, I think that while she has good intentions, she doesn't like being wrong. Her quick judge of character led her to believe that Lila was good, meaning she's going to detest anything that points to it being otherwise.   
Anyways, enjoy!


	6. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien had his next weigh in and Marichat fluff ensues.

Adrien held his breath nervously as he paced in his room. It had been two weeks since his new diet was first instituted, and since he hadn’t been following it at all, he was a little worried for his weigh-in. He had been going to Marinette’s house nightly, where she had been feeding him everything under the sun in terms of nutrients. Adrien would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it- usually, even though Marinette tended to work in her room and he tended to eat on the balcony, it still felt more like home than his house or his room ever did. Sometimes, when she wasn’t too busy, she came up and sat with him and sketched. It was peaceful and nice and warm and he hadn’t felt that like for a long time.

  
He couldn’t even bring himself to regret it as he layered on clothes on top of clothes and ran laps around his room, climbing up and down his climbing wall in record times as he tried to sweat out some of the weight he hadn’t lost at Marinette’s house. While he knew it wasn’t healthy, his father would be furious if he somehow managed to stay the same or gain weight in the two weeks of intense dieting. Plagg even had the gall to look a little concerned about his upcoming check-in.

  
“Kid, I don’t know if…” He trailed off. His chosen wasn’t listening to him right now. He watched as Adrien ran up the spiral staircase again before running down the ramps framing his door. Plagg only hoped Gabriel wouldn’t put his kid on a worse diet. Marinette couldn’t provide Adrien three meals, as hard as she would try, and Adrien couldn’t view this as a healthy relationship. He winced as his kid ran around again. He knew he hadn’t eaten breakfast and had only eaten half of the dinner Marinette had given him, saving it in his mini-fridge. He hadn’t been drinking water no matter how many times Plagg had shoved a water bottle in his face. Plagg had tried everything, and Adrien just wasn’t stopping.

  
Three knocks on the door sent Plagg scurrying for a hiding place and Adrien frantically trying to cover up how much he’d been sweating. Nathalie entered, tablet in hand, and wordlessly motioned Adrien to follow. He did, fear evident in his face as he made his way to his scale. Stripping down to the bare essentials, he stepped on and watched the numbers move. He winced.

  
“You’re still overweight, Adrien.” His father spoke up, disapproval dripping from his tone. “Have you been following your diet?”

  
“Yes, sir.” Adrien gulped, staring at the floor. He dug his nails into his thighs to keep himself from rubbing his neck, a habit his father hated.

  
Silence.

  
“If I may, sir-”

  
“You may not, Adrien.”

  
“But-”

  
“You will continue on this diet. I will send Nathalie up when I have reached a further decision. You are dismissed.”

  
Adrien nodded and grabbed his clothing, retreating to his room. Plagg looked out at him from the bundle, sympathetic, and when Adrien flopped on his bed, exhausted, Plagg brought the previously rejected water bottle and last night’s dinner. Adrien ate them quickly before tossing some cheese to Plagg.

  
“Do you mind if I…?” It was hours before he normally went to Marinette’s, but he doubted she would mind an alley cat on her balcony for a little while. Plagg shook his head, whizzing over to rest on the ring, ready for transformation.   
“Plagg, claws out!” And then he was off.

Marinette had started to do afternoon patrols instead of the evening ones she used to to accommodate her kitty friend. It was an interesting adjustment- while Paris was certainly stunning at night, there was something to be said for it while it wasn’t trying to stand out. Watching over her city in broad daylight let her see the citizen life of Paris, which was stunning in its own, hidden way.

  
She was about to transform for one of these afternoon patrols when she heard a thump on her balcony, sending Tikki scurrying away. Quickly, she climbed up and out of her trapdoor, greeting Chat.

  
“Chat Noir, what’s up? Is everything alright?” She smiled at him, but quickly scanned the horizon for signs of an akuma. She didn’t think she missed any notifications, but it was totally possible, so…

  
“Everything… Everything’s fine, Purrincess. I just wanted to know if I could sit up here for a little while?” Marinette was taken aback. He looked a little vulnerable and unsure of himself, and she was compelled to say yes.

  
“Of course, Kitty. Stay here whenever you’d like. Do you… do you mind if I sit out here as well?”

  
His eyes lit up. “Please do.”

  
“Do you want to talk, or…?”

  
“Can we just… sit? Please?”

  
Marinette smiled at him. “Of course, Chaton.”

The two talked for the rest of the day, Chat completely disregarding any and all deadlines he had. Marinette showed Chat some of her newest designs, and Chat tried and failed to beat her at Ultimate Mecha Strike III. Marinette always chose LB-03.

  
“You know, Ladybug and I fought with that robot when Gamer attacked, and honestly, you might be better at this than even she is. Where did you learn this?” Marinette laughed, starting another match.

  
“I used to play with my father every Saturday. Plus, it helps that you just suck.”

  
Chat gasped, hand over heart. “Purrincess, you wound me! What a pawful attack upon my honor!” Marinette giggled, fingers flying over the controller as she beat him again.

  
“Okay, one more round.” When Marinette shook her head, he pouted, whining, “Aww, paw-lease?” Marinette laughed.

  
“Fineeeee. Last round, and when I win, we declare me the ultimate champion, deal?”

  
“If. If you win.” Marinette gave him a strange look, pressing start on her controller.

  
“Whatever you say, Chat.”

  
The game began in a tense battle between the two robots, but Marinette quickly began to pull ahead in hits and levels. She smirked, miming a yawn. Chat pouted and played harder, gaining a little bit. Suddenly, when Marinette was unprepared, he tackled her and started tickling her, wrestling the remote from her hands in the process.

  
“He-hey! Tha-thats not how- that’s not how you play!” She screeched through her giggles, fighting back hlaf heartedly as he shoved her remote out of reach, finishing the battle with his robot.

  
“Haha! I have won! I truly am a furmidable opponent! I’m feline purrty good about that one, purrincess.”

  
“I call interference.” Marinette was pouting, but it was clear that she was holding back a smile and it was very, very cute.   
“Fur real? I thought that was furry clawver!” Marinette groaned and threw a pillow at him. Unfortunately, it was her cat pillow, which Chat found great amusement in.

  
“Purrincess, you DO love me! I mew it! And here I was, thinking that you only kept me around for my fantastic jokes!”

  
Marinette outright laughed at that, smacking his arm. “You’re annoying, you know that?” Chat just grinned, tilting his head to the side and tail flicking. Marinette felt herself soften at him and she scratched his head, right behind his fake ears. A low rumble grew from his chest, and Chat tried to cover it with a cough, but Marinette caught on.

  
“Oh my god. Chat- did you just- did you just purr?” She scratched the same spot again, causing the same purr to erupt, and he shifted away from her, throwing the cat pillow back at her.

  
“Just like a real cat! Oh my god, Chat, that’s adorable.” Chat stuck his tongue out at her, and she grinned, throwing the pillow back. Chat rolled his eyes. At that moment, Marinette’s phone buzzed with a text.

  
“Oh, that’s probably Alya.” She went over to grab it to check what it said. “How is it already 9:30?” Chat’s eyes widened at that as well. 

“Ah, I definitely skipped all of my responsibilities for tonight. It’s alright. I should probably head out though before they realize I’m gone.”   
Marinette nodded, understanding. She was just glad that he seemed a lot happier than when he came.

  
“Alright, Chat. Let me walk you out.” They climbed out to the balcony together. The air was warm, though there was a slight breeze, and the moon was full. Marinette walked to the railing, staring out at the Paris skyline. The moonlight reflected from her bare shoulders and her midnight hair, making it look almost blue.

  
“Mon Dieu, Paris looks so beautiful tonight.” The air of wonder in her voice only added to her beauty; Chat’s throat felt thick.

  
“Yeah,” He finally choked out, “She does.” He definitely wasn’t talking about the city.

  
Marinette turned to him, a smile on her face. Her eyes glittered and his breath caught. “Alright, well, I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay? Get home safe.” The soft smile on her face was enough to kill him- it was like falling in love with Ladybug all over again. What was happening to him?

  
“Yeah. I’ll… I’ll see you. Goodnight, Marinette.” Chat ran all the way home. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Plagg, can you be in love with two people at once?” Adrien was staring at his ceiling, a dopey smile on his face despite the confusion he was feeling. Plagg sighed. He knew this was coming, but he really didn’t want to deal with it. 

“Sure, kid.” Adrien looked startled at this answer. “What? There’s no rule book for loving people. I know you’re looking for a monogamous relationship, and that’s fine, so as long as you consistently choose one, there’s no rule saying you can’t have lingering feelings for another.” Plagg paused, considering what he was going to say next. “Listen, kid. Ladybug’s not interested, but if you like pigtails-”

“-Marinette-”

“-then go for it. Right? Now let me eat camembert, please.” Adrien laughed, turning on his side. 

“Goodnight, Plagg.” He was asleep quickly, eyes fluttering shut into a dream about croissants and cat pillows. Plagg hovered over him for a second before settling back down. 

“Goodnight, Adrien.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I wanted to post this before the week begins. I love ALL of your comments- they make my day! Thanks so much!


	7. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel gets mad and Marinette loses her earrings during and akuma attack.

Lila sat on the bench at the Place de Vosges, fidgeting with the friendship bracelets around her wrist. Pulling out her phone, she checked the time.  _ 15:43.  _ Two minutes before her scheduled meet up time with M. Agreste. She had received the call a few hours prior, and, while she had had plans for that afternoon, it hadn’t taken much to lie her way out of them. She figured this would be more important, anyways. 

Just then, the near silent hiss of a car braking behind her piqued her attention. She stayed stock-still, gazing ahead of her, back rimrod straight. 

“Mme. Rossi. A pleasure.”

“M. Agreste. You called for an update?” Lila’s voice came out silky soft, just the way it was supposed to. She’d be lying(not that she didn’t do that often) if she didn’t say M. Agreste set her a bit on edge, so she was doing her best to quell the shaking of her left knee. Hopefully, he didn’t notice. 

“Proceed, Lila. I’m a busy man.”

“Yes, monsieur. After your request from a few weeks ago, I have been adamantly watching Adrien’s eating habits. The Marinette girl- the one I said was a bad influence?- she’s been bringing him croissants from her parent’s bakery. Upon your request, I’ve stopped that from happening. While she persisted for a few days, she eventually gave up.” 

“Interesting, Mme. Rossi. As usual, the contents of this conversation  _ will _ be kept private. I will get back to you in a few days.” With that, Gabriel Agreste sped away. 

  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  


Gabriel Agreste fumed within his office. Obviously, his little spy had failed. He had no doubt that Mme. Dupain-Cheng was the one feeding his son, but Lila had clearly been unable to stop her, despite what she had said. Sighing, he rubbed his brooch. 

“I believe, Nooroo,” the Kwami’s head peeked nervously out from behind the edging of the elaborate portrait. “We have a girl to target.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adrien didn’t hear from his father or Nathalie for the next week. His schedule was left at his door in the mornings, and he was treated with silence by both of them. Plagg was worried, but he didn’t say so, instead encouraging Adrien to go to Marinette’s house a little earlier and stay a little later, hoping that some residual warmth would seep into his regular life. 

Unfortunately for Adrien as well, akuma attacks increased as well in the following week, with about one per day, interestingly all near Collège Françoise Dupont. He was on edge all the time, so when Marinette screamed from below him, he was in her room in an instant, crouched and ready to fight.

“Wha- oh, Chat, I’m so sorry! I just-ugh. You happen to be any good at physics?” Chat blinked at her and then burst into laughter, shaking his head. 

“Purrincess, I happen to be the cat’s meow. What do you need help with?” She groaned, laughing, and pointed at the worksheet on her desk. Adrien had completed the worksheet the night before, so he was able to help her despite her complete lack of natural understanding of it. 

“I just don’t getttttt it.” Marinette groaned, for probably the eighteenth time that night. Chat laughed as she pushed off with her feet in her spinney chair, sending her circling. He patiently reexplained the problem to her, and he grinned when her eyes lit up. 

“Wait. Wait! So- Wait- If the forces cancel out in this direction- and if friction-is that it?” Chat leaned over her frantic scribbles and nodded, pleased to see she had gotten the correct answer.

“You should be a physics teacher. Oh my god, I can’t believe I got it!” She cheered, spinning again. 

“I want to be, actually. I don’t think I can, though.” He sighed, leaning against the desk. Marinette looked up, perplexed. 

“What do you mean? You just taught me right there! You were great!” He smiled sadly.

“Thanks, purrincess, but I have other expectations for me in my civilian life. Physics… well, I like it, but it doesn’t trump my other… Well. Next problem?” Chat’s signature smirk was back, but it was off, like Adrien’s model smile. Marinette frowned, unsure of how to help him. Sighing, she moved on to the next problem. 

“Oh jesus. Pulleys, Chat. Pulleys. Help me.” She fell off her chair dramatically, miming wounds to the heart. Chat laughed, and his real smile was back, and Marinette thought that was enough for now. 

  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chat Noir ate inside Marinette’s room from then on. They worked on homework often, but sometimes they just sat in silence or they talked. Occasionally, they played Ultimate Mecha Strike III as well. Adrien came home from his nightly meet-ups with her falling more and more in love with the clumsy, silly girl, and he desperately wanted to get to know her as his civilian form as well. He was planning on it, of course, but he needed her to be alive for her to do that, which was the current problem the were running into.

With all the akumas at Collège Françoise Dupont, Gabriel had finally hit the jackpot. Adrien had run to the bathroom during class when an akuma had attacked, meaning he had been able to transform and follow it quickly. It was headed towards his homeroom, where Marinette was ushering people to safety. 

_ Goddammit, Marinette! _ Chat picked up speed as he realized the akuma-a dangerous one, at that- had her trapped in the classroom. While she had helped everyone else escape, she herself was cornered, and Chat was sure as hell not letting her get hurt. 

Marinette was cursing herself out for not running earlier. She had seen the akuma and she couldn’t leave anyone behind while transforming to Ladybug. Now, she was trapped, unless she somehow duped this very fast, very dangerous villain or Chat Noir showed up. She threw herself out of the way of a blast, hands going to her earrings. 

“Tikki, find someone!” Marinette rolled as she pulled one earring from her ear, ducking behind a desk. Her breath was coming quickly and she was panicking as she ripped the second one off, clutching both tightly. The desk was blown out of the way, the explosion sending shrapnel through the room, and she involuntarily screamed, exposed to the akuma. She glanced left and right, realizing there was nowhere left to run.

Chat heard her scream and ran faster- he was still too far, he wasn’t going to make it,  _ how was she still surviving and oh my god she wasn’t going to escape _ and-

Marinette crouched, setting her earrings lightly on the floor, ignoring Tikki’s pleas to transform. She stared at the akuma, determination in her eyes. And then she sprinted at it.

Chat screamed. 

Marinette prepared herself for pain- she didn’t know what being hit by an akuma like this felt like, to be honest. She had only been hit by a few, and while she had seen what this particular akuma had done to a few unlucky students, she couldn’t fathom what it would feel like to just disappear. She didn’t expect to feel nothing more than the pain of the collision, and she kept tumbling, and suddenly, strong arms were around her, carrying her away, lifting her up and bringing her far, far away from the akuma. 

The irrational part of her brain spoke up.  _ Is this what death feels like? _ But no, death certainly didn’t smell like leather and cologne and… camembert? 

“Kitty?”

Chat let out a strangled laugh, clutching her a little tighter.  _ Jesus Christ.  _ Glancing over his shoulder, he found that the akuma had yet to collect itself and follow them, so he went faster, propelling them over rooftops and finally landing on an abandoned one, far from the school and the disaster taking place over. He clutched her small form tighter, sinking to the ground. Her arms were tight around his neck, and he felt her shiver slightly in the brisk Paris air. 

“ _ Mon Dieu,  _ Marinette, what were you thinking?” Chat suddenly bellowed, fear coursing through him. “You-you could’ve died! Died, Mari! I just- Marinette, what were you doing?” Chat suddenly realized he was crying, and he moved a hand from her back to hastily wipe the tears away. 

“Ladybug would’ve saved me…” Marinette’s face was buried in his chest, and cold dread settled in Chat’s gut. 

“I don’t want to count on- on fucking  _ Ladybug _ to save you, Marinette! Ladybug… Ladybug’s great, but what if she failed this time? What if I lost you, Marinette?” Marinette stilled before looking up at him. Her eyes were rimmed with red as well, he noticed, and he hugged her a little tighter. 

“You...You’re only saying that ‘cause I feed you.” Marinette sniffed, looking away. Chat surely didn’t really think that highly of her, did he? 

“Mari-what? No, Marinette, what are you talking about? Marinette, you’re the most important person in my life. I- I can’t lose you.”

“... What about Ladybug?” Marinette was now staring at Chat directly. Chat looked back at her, returning her gaze. 

“I don’t know what you mean, Mari. You’re the most-” Something exploded in the distance, echoed by screams of civilians. “ _ Shit.  _ Mari, stay here and out of trouble. I have to go deal with that.” Chat gave her a squeeze before setting her gently on the ground, backing away before waving and jumping off the building and vaulting away with his staff. 

Marinette stared after him, not fully recovered from anything that had just happened. She had always had two reasons for keeping Chat at arm’s length as Ladybug. The first one was obviously Adrien, but she didn’t know if he could entirely count as an issue anymore. In the past year, she hadn’t gotten anywhere with him, and besides, Chat… Well. The second reason, the more important reason, was that Chat loved Ladybug. Chat loved Ladybug, the girl who could jump from building to building, who was little more than a picture-perfect figurehead who could create things and solve puzzles. Chat loved Ladybug, who was endlessly brave and strong and powerful, who never failed. 

She was sure he’d never love Marinette, the girl who tripped over her feet, who couldn’t do physics for her life. She didn’t want to start a relationship where he didn’t know or love her true self, and while it hurt, she had accepted it. 

And then here he was, telling her that she was the most important person in his life that he couldn’t lose her. Where did those butterflies come from? Why did she like being held by him?

She shook her head. She had an akuma to fight, after all. 

Marinette almost forgot that she didn’t have her earrings.  _ Shit.  _ She glanced around the top of the building, searching for a door or a way out. Unfortunately, she couldn’t seem to find one, and the fire escape was broken.  _ Double shit.  _ She couldn’t be stuck here-this was a dangerous akuma and she wasn’t letting Chat fight it alone. 

Sighing, she looked back towards the fire escape. It was only dysfunctional for the top floor, it seemed, and she was a goddamn superhero. She could do this. 

Unfortunately, she was a  _ clumsy  _ superhero. She grabbed the edge of the building, shimmying her hips off the edge and searching for footholds as she lowered herself down. She was relatively successful, climbing down the edge of the building with little difficulty for a girl her height. Her problem came when she actually reached the fire escape- as she hung only a few feet above it, she figured she could drop down and land on the small landing safely. She was wrong, twisting her ankle. Cursing herself, she forced herself down the rickety, rusted ladders and landings, finally making it to the ground. It became clear to her that she had no clue where she was, however, causing her to curse again. 

_ Okay, where would Tikki go?  _ An explosion roughly 4 blocks down sent her running, as best she could, towards it.  _ Chat would  _ kill  _ me if he saw me here again.  _ Marinette winced, but kept running, quietly calling her kwami’s name. As she got closer, she could hear Chat frantically calling her alter-ego’s name. She pushed herself faster. 

_ Please, Tikki, please… _

  
  


After Marinette had been swept up by Chat, Tikki had tried to follow. She was fast enough to, of course, but her main issue was that the akuma was  _ still in the room _ and Tikki didn’t know what she’d do if she was found. When it finally got up and left, she shakily carried her earrings out of the room with her. The addition of the earrings meant she couldn’t phase through anything, so everything was much, much more dangerous as well. 

When she was safely able to leave, she realized that she had lost Chat and Marinette. Glancing around frantically, she realized she barely even knew her surroundings- she had followed the akuma, and she, like Plagg, was guilty of relaxing in Marinette’s handbag instead of paying attention to the city around her. Panic rose in the normally cheery kwami’s throat and she squeaked, spinning a little. 

Well. Nothing to do but search. 

  
  
  


Marinette was getting closer and closer to the fight with no sign of her kwami. She rounded a corner, only to dodge back around quickly when she realized that Chat and the akumatized civilian were  _ right there.  _ She ducked behind a trash can positioned at the corner she had been peeking out from and hid, trying to control her breathing. At this point, she couldn’t get much closer as a civilian, and she risked being seen by Chat and severely questioned and whisked away again. She shifted her weight nervously, hissing at the pain in her swollen ankle, and called out for Tikki again. Chat’s ring was beeping, and he couldn’t keep it up much longer on his own, and she was right here, goddamn it!

Suddenly, she watched as the akuma pinned him against the wall. His legs flailed and panic rose in his eyes, and a purple mask appeared around the akuma’s face, likely instructing him to hold Chat there until his timer ran out, and _ - _

She couldn’t keep waiting. Glancing around, she shoved the trash can that was concealing her noisily out of the way, drawing the akuma’s attention. 

Jumping out, she yelled loudly, “Why don’t you come over here and bug someone else, huh?” 

The monster roared when it saw her, recognizing her from it’s first fight at the school. Tossing Chat aside, it turned in her direction. She ignored the pain in her ankle as she started running. 

Marinette dove through alleyways and thin sidestreets, taunting the akuma with her voice. “What, are we playing hide and seek? Come and catch me!” She didn’t have a plan, other than to save Chat, save Chat, save Chat. 

Dimly, some part of her brain notified her that she had, in fact, already done that, but she kept running until she couldn’t. Crying out in pain, Marinette tripped, her swollen ankle giving out. The akuma rounded the corner, catching sight of her. 

It certainly was dim, since the only connection it seemed to make was that this was the girl who had escaped it earlier, and it was  _ angry.  _ Marinette crawled backwards, searching for an escape plan. 

The akuma sent a blast her way, but she saw it coming, rolling out of the way. The explosion sent chunks of pavement soaring, leaving a huge crater in the ground. It let out a roar of anger, sending out another one, just barely missing her. She couldn’t keep this up. 

Another blast, dodged. Chat was coming, she knew it, just not fast enough, he had to recharge, and- wait. She felt something under her- a manhole cover.  _ Of course.  _ She wouldn’t be able to get it up in time, but-

She dodged a final blast, which blew up the manhole cover, leaving a gaping hole in the ground. She dove into it, rolling and running, gasping for breath. When she didn’t hear anyone following her, she paused, trying to give her ankle a break from the searing pain it was feeling. Suddenly, a whiz of pink flew into her face, hugging her. 

“Tikki!” Marinette could’ve cried. The kwami was crying, and Marinette took the earrings and inserted them in her ears before hugging her again. 

“Marinette- I saw what happened-I wasn’t close enough-I’m so sorry- you could’ve died-I-” Tikki was openly sobbing, her blue eyes filled with tears. 

“Shhh-It’s not your fault, it’s mine, I shouldn’t have taken my earrings off. I’m so sorry, but-” an explosion sounded above them, “We really need to get going. Tikki, spots on!” Tikki zipped into the earrings, and Ladybug ran, headed towards the nearest manhole cover. She popped up behind Chat Noir, who was nursing injuries as the confused villain looked for him. Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief- while her partner was hurt, he wasn’t critically injured, and that was more than she deserved. 

She fell in her haste to get to him. “Chat!” The look he shot at her made her freeze in her tracks, and it hurt more than all her injuries combined.

He took her beaten form in. She was cut up and bruised, and bleeding in plenty of places that she wasn’t even aware of(most notably a large gash near her hairline), and a myriad of emotions flashed across his face. 

“We’ll talk after. Let’s-let’s defeat this bozo, okay?” Ladybug nodded, relieved, and she ducked behind his crouched form. 

“Alright. His power is mainly to vaporize people, but if he misses, he blows up what he hits. I already tried to break his knuckle rings, but they just grow back. Not the akuma.” Ladybug grimaced, realizing that must have happened right before her distraction. 

Ladybug observed the brute, eyes landing on surprisingly distinct ears and earrings in them. “I think… Okay. Let’s just go for it, alright? Lucky charm!” Her yoyo produced a large ball of bluish yarn, and Ladybug’s eyes were drawn to a storefront mannequin and the hairbands in her own hair. 

“You gotta be kidding me…” Ladybug was not a fan of this plan, and she had the strangest feeling that Chat would also not be a fan. He was looking at her questioningly, but she instructed him on what to grab as she undid her hair. He came back, and his frown deepened as she placed the yarn in pigtail-like blobs on the mannequin’s head. 

“He’s a little too dumb to tell the difference. Can you run down that alleyway with this mannequin, Chat? I’ll deal with the akuma from there.” Pausing, she looked at him. “I’m sorry- it’s what the lucky charm gave me.” Sighing, Chat took the mannequin and started running, drawing the akuma’s attention to him. Blasts started flying and Ladybug winced, but with it’s back to her, she was able to land on his shoulder and break the earring, releasing the akuma. She purified it, and, suddenly drained, she stumbled, leaning against a wall for balance. 

Vaguely, she realized her head hurt, and when she wiped what she thought was sweat away, her hand came back red.  _ Shit.  _ She glanced up, and Chat was running towards her, mannequin in hand. She straightened, putting on a smile and pretending as if the world wasn’t spinning. He looked worried, noticing the smeared blood across her forehead and her unfocused eyes, but he wordlessly cataclysmed the mannequin and handed her the yarn-hair, sending a swarm of ladybugs around to fix the damage to the city. 

“Where were you?” Chat’s tone was accusatory, and he rubbed his neck. Lingering bruises ringed the area where the akuma had pinned him to the wall, and she winced. 

“I-I’m sorry, Chat. I lost my miraculous.” Ladybug reached for him, but pulled her hand back. Chat took a breath, taking his time releasing it. 

“Okay, I-okay.”  _ Of course it had to happen today. Of course it had to happen when Marinette was in danger.  _ “But what about-” Ladybug’s miraculous beeped, followed by Chat’s. “Okay, patrol tonight. Eiffel tower. 19:00.” Ladybug only nodded as Chat took off. 

She realized somewhat belatedly that she needed to go the same direction that Chat was going if she wanted to get back to the building Marinette was supposed to be at. This day was not going her way, she admitted with a sigh, before detransforming and feeding Tikki. Of her injuries, her ankle still remained, since it wasn’t magic-related, gashes had been reduced to scratches, and bruises had shrunk. She was functional enough to move, at least. Sighing, she retransformed and took off, praying that she could get there before Chat did. 

  
  


Chat detransformed in an alleyway on his way to the building he left Marinette at. He handed Plagg a piece of cheese, bouncing on his toes as he waited for Plagg to eat it. 

Plagg paused. He knew what Marinette did today-it didn’t take a genius to put two and two together, and while his kid wasn’t one, he made the connection. Marinette saved his kid, despite not having Tikki, and Tikki’s pure terror immediately after showed how much it had almost cost her. 

Reaching through the link he shared with his other half, he could feel Marinette transformed and panicking about arriving on time to meet Chat Noir. She deserved a little repayment, didn’t she?

“Plagg, come on. We have to go meet Marinette. Can’t you eat any faster?” Plagg looked at his impatient boy and shook his head, tossing his cheese from paw to paw. 

“Aw, someone’s impatient. After all I’ve done for you?” Plagg heard the whir of Ladybug’s yoyo above them. “And is this all the cheese you got? If I’m going to have to watch some ooey-gooey lovey-dovey stuff, I’m going to need some extra sustenance.” Adrien groaned, and Plagg allowed himself a nibble on his cheese as he felt Marinette’s fear ebb away. 

Yeah. He wasn’t awful all the time.    
  


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Eventually, Chat made it to the roof where he had left Marinette. He was relieved to see her sitting where he had last seen her, and she immediately got up and ran over to him. 

“Chat! I- I saw footage of the battle, and I could see the explosions, I thought for sure you had died, or- or-” Marinette allowed herself to be gathered in Chat’s strong arms. She didn’t know how to feel about him hating her as Ladybug, and she couldn’t stand the angry looks, no matter how well deserved they were. 

“I’m alright, Marinette.” Chat released her, and her eyes went up to his neck. The cure had shrunk the bruises on his neck, but they were still there, and she winced, knowing that they were partially her fault. 

“I’m… I’m so sorry, Chat.” Her fingertips brushed his neck, and he winced but shook his head. 

“Not your fault at all.”  _ If only you knew… _ “Now, come on. Let’s get you home.” His fingertips brushed the scratches on her forehead and arms, wincing. “Why didn’t the miraculous cure get these?”

Marinette fumbled for an excuse. It was true that the cure fixed all injuries of civilians. “Um, I don’t know. Maybe I was too far away. Or, there was a lot of damage- maybe there was too much to fix. I don’t know?” Chat frowned, but accepted her answer anyways. He picked her up, bridal style, and grabbed his staff as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

The journey home was silent. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  


Ladybug arrived at the Eiffel Tower first. She was nervous, honestly, and she wasn’t going to allow her late tendencies to deter her from receiving Chat’s forgiveness. She had wrapped her ankle upon arriving home, and had iced it as well, but it still hurt to walk on. She stood with her weight on the opposite leg as she waited. 

Chat arrived on time. He was angry. He couldn’t stop replaying Marinette almost dying, and it made him want to throw up every time. While he knew he loved both girls (and he had no clue what to do about it) Marinette almost dying was somehow almost more terrifying than watching Ladybug throw herself at death time and time again. Ladybug and Chat had signed up for this crime fighting thing together, and while Chat knew that didn’t make Ladybug less likely to die, Marinette didn’t agree to the risk. She was supposed to be protected, and they had failed her today. He was just as angry with himself as Ladybug, but at least he had shown up for the entire battle. 

He saw Ladybug’s dejected form at the Eiffel Tower and instantly felt bad for his sacrilegious thoughts. Still, he steeled himself in his resolve. Marinette almost died today. 

“Ladybug.” She scrambled upwards, wincing a little. 

“Chat! Hi. I-uh.” Silence. Ladybug took a breath. “I’m sorry, Chat. I showed up as early as I could.”

Chat’s tail flicked suspiciously. “No, you didn’t! I mean, yeah. You found your miraculous and you saved me from detransforming. And then you disappeared for-what- like 10 minutes? Ladybug, Mar-civilians almost died during that attack. They’re relying on us, and-” He sighed heavily. 

Meanwhile, cogs were turning in Ladybug’s head. Clearly, he thought Marinette distracting the monster was Ladybug, probably because he didn’t know who else the akuma would go after or who else would be crazy enough to attract it. She couldn’t claim it was her, though, because if footage of it leaked, she’d be screwed. 

She shook her head slowly. “Chat, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but that wasn’t me. The first I saw the akuma transformed was with you, when I called my lucky charm.” Chat’s eyes widened, confused.

“Really? But then who-” Chat frowned, shaking his head. “Well, okay. I’m sorry for accusing you of that then. Can you explain what was with that lucky charm then?” 

“I, uh… I heard about what happened at Collège Françoise Dupont, and I know Marinette as Ladybug, so I know what she looks like, and, well- Anyways. I can’t control my lucky charm, and when I got the yarn, the plan became clear to me. I’m sorry.”

Chat nodded slowly, accepting her answer. “Okay. Just- Please try not to lose your miraculous again, alright? We need you. I don’t know what the city would do without you, Ladybug.” Ladybug nodded, not trusting herself to speak. 

Chat turned back towards her, holding his fist out. “Hey, we never did this. Wanna go no-” Ladybug’s fist hit his with a “Pound it!” and she smiled at him, eyes bright. 

“Thanks, Chat. The city needs you too. And… so do I. Bug out!” Ladybug quickly swung away, towards her balcony, disappearing into the night. 

Chat smiled softly, plopping onto the beams of the Eiffel Tower to take a few minutes to enjoy the view. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

In his lair, Hawkmoth slammed his cane to the ground in frustration, sending butterflies fluttering away. While the akuma today had been a good anger release, he hadn’t been successful in any of his goals. Sighing, he took off the brooch and sat down. He had some planning to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long- I was out of town for my cousins' b'not mitzvah and I was super busy. Anyways, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!


	8. 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter today? You know it. Just some fluff and Marinette being a badass :)

In the weeks of Gabriel Agreste’s planning, the heros enjoyed a lull in the akuma attacks, meaning Chat and Marinette were spending more and more time together. More than that, however, Adrien was making a huge effort to spend time with Marinette as a civilian. He started small, working in the group with Nino and Alya and having lunch, but quickly it became just the two of them hanging out on a regular basis. Adrien spent his free lunches at Marinette’s bakery, and whenever he could weasel free time from Gorilla, he spent that at Marinette’s house as well. His father didn’t notice, too engrossed in his “work”, and Adrien was soon leaving Marinette’s house in the evenings to return twenty minutes later as his alter ego. 

As for Marinette’s nervousness, Adrien was pleased to see it dissolved quickly, and even though she was more contained around him, her stutter had all but disappeared. 

It was during one of those days that Adrien and Marinette were playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III, Marinette obviously destroying Adrien. After the twentieth loss, Adrien groaned dramatically, causing Marinette to laugh, and, on a stroke of boldness, reach out and ruffle his hair. 

“Aww, is Adrien Agreste finally not good at something? The horror!” 

Adrien pouted, glaring at her. “Hey, give it agreste, will you! I’ll have you know that I am great at this game, you’re just, you’re just-” Adrien flailed his arms, oblivious to the fact that Marinette was staring at him with a dumbfounded look on her face. 

“I. Can’t. Believe. It. Adrien Agreste is a punner. I-oh my god, I can’t believe I ever- You-” She looked over at him with his glittering green eyes, ruffled hair, and cheshire smirk, and she froze. “You… You look a lot like…” She shook her head. Nope. “I mean, what an awful pun. Come on, Adrien, I expected better of you!” 

Marinette was not thinking about the fact that she only wanted to kiss Adrien when she realized he reminded her of Chat.  _ What was wrong with her? _

  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  


Marinette climbed up her to her room, aware of the fact that she was late to meet with Chat. Hopefully he hadn’t been waiting too long. She opened the trapdoor quietly, immediately being hit by a blast of cold air. Paris was really getting chilly, especially at night. Maybe she should make herself and Chat some winter jackets for patrols and fighting. 

Her train of thought was interrupted when she found Chat curled up on a lawn chair, shivering.

“Chaton!  _ Mon Dieu _ , what are you- don’t you know that- please come inside, Kitty. Let’s warm you up.” Chat followed silently as she brought him into her room, covering him in blankets and making them hot chocolate. 

“Chat, why were you waiting out there? It’s cold out!” Chat took a sip from his hot chocolate, snuggling into his blanket.

“Well, you weren’t here, and I wasn’t going to invite myself in, so…” Marinette shook her head. 

“Chat, you’re always welcome here. From now on, please, please, please just let yourself in. Make yourself comfortable if I’m not around, okay?” Chat nodded, and Marinette sat down beside him. Putting down his hot chocolate, he grabbed her, hugging her tightly. 

“Mmmm. Warm.” He buried his face in her hair, trying not to enjoy the scent of strawberries.

“Wha- Chat-I-” Marinette struggled, laughing, but Chat was intent on using her as a personal heater, so she snuggled into his arms, rolling her eyes. He purred. 

“You are such a cat!” Marinette laughed, running her hands through his hair. He had stopped trying to conceal the purrs a while ago and instead just nuzzled his head further into her shoulder. 

Yeah, she could get used to this. 

Marinette stayed up late that night designing the jackets for the superheros, figuring Chat would need his very soon. They were completed the next night, and she had given them to Chat the night after. 

“Marinette, you didn’t have to! They’re so nice-and, oh my god, they’re warm!” Marinette grinned at Chat’s glee. 

“They also have interior pockets for your Kwami’s food. I figured that could be helpful. Also, they…” Marinette went on to list all the features of the jackets, and Chat stared at her, entranced. Did any other girl as wonderful exist? He didn’t think so. 

“Marinette, you’re incredible- they’re incredible. I’ll get Ladybug’s to her ASAP as well, okay? And we’ll make sure everyone knows who designed them-Marinette, I can’t thank you enough-” Marinette just smiled.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adrien, after a week or two of the silent treatment from both Nathalie and his father, thought he imagined it when Nathalie spoke to him. 

“Your father prohibits you from taking any sweets from Mme. Dupain-Cheng.” Adrien looked up. He was sitting in the back of the limousine, a ride that had previously been silent. How had his father known?

“Your father is aware that you are getting sweets from Mme. Dupain-Cheng. He orders you to stop.” Adrien shook his head and resumed looking out the window. 

“I don’t really know what you’re talking about, but it’s really not your business what goes on at school.” Adrien was feeling righteously resentful of the treatment he’d been enduring, but he realized too late that rebellion would do him no good. 

Nathalie’s expression hardened. “We will continue this conversation after school, Adrien. That is all.” Adrien left the car, sighing heavily before making his way up the stairs to greet Marinette and receive his special secret morning croissant. 

When Adrien arrived home, he felt a cold sense of dread in his stomach. While his father was not around, Nathalie was, and she was carrying the tablet and walking towards him purposefully. 

“Adrien. I have heard of your insubordination today. Mme. Dupain-Cheng is a fashion designer, correct?” Adrien wasn’t given time to reply. “Well, let her know if she continues to feed you sweets I will make it my personal goal to make sure she has no standing in the industry at all. That is all.” The tablet shut off, and Nathalie turned away, the cold click of her heels leaving Adrien staring after her.

The next day, Adrien went up to Marinette and their group of friends with a mournful walk. Noticing, his friends started asking questions immediately. 

“What’s wrong? Is it your old man again? Hey, what’s up with that dumb diet he put you on?” Nino’s words came through the loudest and Adrien winced.

“Yeah… About that… Marinette, I appreciate it so much, but you have to stop giving me food. Um. Father’s threatened to kill your fashion career if you continue because I haven’t lost enough weight and I can’t do that to you. Thank you so much for trying, Marinette. You’re really incredible.” Sighing, he walked into the school, leaving his friends staring after him.

Truly, he was worried. If he didn’t lose the weight he was supposed to, would his father take it out on Marinette anyways? It wasn’t fair, but he might, and that would hurt his hero duties. He slumped in his chair all throughout lessons that day. 

When lunchtime came, he turned towards Marinette, but she was backing out the door. She looked at him apologetically. “Oh, Adrien, I’m sorry-I’ve gotta help my parents out in the bakery, and it’s really boring work, you wouldn’t want to-” Adrien nodded and waved her off, dismayed. He understood. Her career was too important to her, and he couldn’t blame her. Sighing, he sat in the courtyard for lunch. 

When Marinette came back, however, she had a devious smirk on her face, and she was sketching instead of paying attention in class. He took notes for her, hoping that maybe she’d still be his friend, but after school, she darted out with the same excuse. He sighed, heading home with his driver and hating his father just a little bit. 

The next day at school, the glint in Marinette’s eyes was at full strength, but all he had gleaned from his visit as Chat Noir was that she was making some macaroons and wanted to know what he thought his should taste like. He had said mint in the spur of the moment, and, sighing, she had gone with chocolate mint for his. When he sat down in class, he was passed the history book again, which he immediately shoved back, before pulling out a post it. 

_ I can’t hurt Mari like that _

Rolling his eyes, Nino shoved the book back, scribbling back another note. 

_ just open it dude _

Sighing, he did, but he didn’t expect what he saw inside. There were six specially designed macaroons, two of which were clearly the Chat Noir and Ladybug ones. There was also a note which read:

_ just a taste of what’s happening later today :) _

_ -Mari _

Adrien whipped around, staring at Marinette, who looked very satisfied with herself. Nino just shrugged, and Alya had been unsuccessful in getting any details out of Marinette, if her frustrated frown was anything to go by. 

Adrien wasn’t able to ponder any longer when class started, but it didn’t serve as much of a distraction. When it finally ended, Marinette raced out, saying how she had to make a delivery before the end of lunch.  _ Strange… _

When Marinette arrived at the bakery, things were just as she had hoped. Five of the six macaroons were nearly sold out, while the sixth, a peppermint white and red striped one with a red filling lay in neat little rows. Her father came out of the back of the bakery, grinning.

“Marinette! Your macarons were a huge success! We’re going to have to add them to the menu!” Marinette laughed. 

“Okay, papa. Now, may I take the rest?” Her father nodded. 

“Of course, Marinette.” They worked quickly, boxing one of each popular macaroon and all of the unpopular ones. Marinette made sure to take the official namecards for the sweets and put them in the box, along with a special note from her. 

“I’ve got to run! Thank you!” Marinette ran out the door, grinning as she went. She was pretty proud of this. 

When Marinette arrived to school for her afternoon classes, she was out of breath and barely on time. She had delivered her package, however, and that was all that really mattered. Her friends were giving her strange looks, but she wasn’t about to spoil the surprise. Of course, her anticipation made the classes crawl by, and she was antsy. 

Finally, the final bell rang and she was out of her seat like a bullet, waving goodbye to her friends and hurrying out the door. She sprinted to the bakery, dropping her stuff down and collapsing on her bed. Now all that was left to do was wait. 

Due to Marinette’s odd behavior, it was safe to say that Adrien was on edge through the ride home. When he entered the foyer, however, he did not expect to see his father in person, fuming. 

“Adrien, what did you know of this?” Adrien looked completely confused, and Gabriel sighed, looking down at the box in his hands. Curious, Adrien moved forwards to see. 

It was a box of six types of macaroons, each labeled with the name of and made to look like a different celebrity. The six types were called “Jagged”, “Nightingale”, “Noir”, “Ladybug”, “Blogger”, and “Gabriel”. Jagged Stone’s macaroon was black and purple with a gold edging, Clara Nightingale’s was multicolored in geometric shapes, Ladybug and Chat Noir’s looked like their costumes, and Alya’s was an ombre of orange and brown, with the filling as a swirl. The final one, Gabriel, was clearly modeled after Gabriel’s choice of outfit. It was peppermint stripped and looked garish. 

On top of the box, a note, in Marinette’s handwritting, lay. 

_ I made all of these fun macaron flavors  _

_ for my families bakery to try today! _

_ I sent you guys the leftovers to try. _

_ Unforunately, since no one seemed to like _

_ “Gabriel” very much, we will not be  _

_ keeping it in stock. Maybe it’s _

_ because of the coloring; one would _

_ really think a fashion designer would _

_ have better sense.  _

_ Also, Gabe. These are all people who _

_ have worn my designs and will vouch  _

_ for my talent if you try to destroy me. _

_ Clearly, people seem to like them more  _

_ than you, if these macarons are anything _

_ to go by. I will continue feeding your son _

_ until you realize that he does not need _

_ a diet and you’re being unreasonable. _

_ Enjoy the macarons! _

_ -Marinette _

Adrien stared. And stared. And suddenly, he couldn’t stop laughing. He took out his phone and snapped as many pictures as he could, much to his father’s anger, and he knew he loved Marinette in that moment. 

“Adrien. To your room.” Adrien obliged, but not without taking one of the macarons and darting up the stairs. When he shut the door behind him, Plagg fell out of his coat, clutching his sides in laughter. 

“Oh man. Ohhhhh man. You picked a good one, Adrien. She’s a keeper.” Adrien, smiling, took out his phone and sent the pictures to the group chat. 

_ Adrien: Marinette is the angel we’ve been looking for _

_ Adrien: A true Ladybug :) _

From her bedroom, Marinette smiled. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  


Gabriel, in his lair, was stomping on macarons. Unfortunately, the butterflies seemed to like them very much, only fueling his anger. He stormed to his office, pulling out his notebook. Marinette had made it personal, and now she was going to pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I felt like posting again so here we are. As always, comments, theories, and CC are always welcome!  
Also, I didn't reread this, like, at all. Sorry 'bout that.


	9. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for the worse in Marinette land... :(

Lila sat on the same park bench. It had been a few weeks without communication, but she had a feeling that Gabriel was less than pleased. If he had heard that Marinette and Adrien were getting closer, she was sure he’d be furious. 

The now-familiar hiss of brakes sounded behind her, and before she could speak, M. Agreste’s voice rang out, curt and cold. “You’ve mentioned you know Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” She winced. Yep, not pleased. 

Better to be upfront and honest, she supposed. While she did chose to lie most of the time, she knew when someone already knew the answer. “Yes, sir. Unfortunately, she’s been getting closer to Adrien. Not without my intervention, of course- I’ve been doing everything in my power to stop it.”

Gabriel paused. He hadn’t heard about this. “Continue.”

“Well, one day they were planning on going home for lunch together, I spilled a smoothie on her blouse, and insisted on helping her clean it.” She left out the part where she proceeded to threaten Marinette in the bathroom, reinforcing her earlier threats from before she turned into Chameleon. “While they didn’t eat lunch together that day, she only seemed more determined to keep away from me. I’ve also hidden her backpack during passing periods, tried to guilt both of them into studying individually with me, and-”

Gabriel interrupted, concerned. “Do either of them know that you’re the one interfering?” If she was obvious about her tactics, what use would she be to his plan?

Lila smirked at this. “Marinette is aware, but Adrien is suspicious at best. Even if he was, his friends and the rest of the class are completely convinced of whatever I say, and they’re pretty good at guilting him. Marinette is powerless.”

Gabriel paused, considering the new dynamic he had just been introduced to. He could make use of this. “Thank you, Lila. I need you to continue sowing distrust between Marinette and Marinette’s friends. For example, maybe convince the blogger girl that she’s been withheld a scoop of sorts. Make sure that by the end of the next two weeks, no one in the class trusts her.”

Lila smirked. “Will do.” The car drove off. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Marinette wouldn’t deny that Lila had amped up her attempts to ruin her life in the past few weeks, but they just weren’t getting to her as much. Marinette was generally over the moon, with both Chat and Adrien taking up all her free time and not leaving her much time to be sad. Most of the time when Lila stepped in, it was equally harmful for Adrien, so the two worked together to avoid her assaults. Occasionally, like with the smoothie-and-threat day, she just left Adrien out of it entirely, waving him away when he asked what had happened. She didn’t want to worry him, and she didn’t think Lila could go through with any of her threats anyways. Overall, life for Marinette was going miraculously well, no pun intended. 

Marinette was smiling to herself as she thought this on her way to school. Even her life as Ladybug was going well- since she had been hanging out with Chat, she usually arrived a little later to everything than he did, but it wasn’t a problem, especially because the akumas were infrequent and weak. Marinette knew that she should be worried about what it meant, but she couldn’t bring herself to ruin this perfect period in her life with more worry. Heck, it was a Monday, and somehow she was up and out of bed on time!

Quickly, however, she realized things were not going to go according to plan. She walked into the courtyard, but unease settled on her like an itchy blanket, and she looked around, trying to identify the source. Disquieted, she made her way to the stairs, planning on making her way to the classroom early. Her path was blocked by Ivan.

“Oh, hi Ivan! Good morning! Hey- do you know when Kitty Section is performing next and if they’d be ready to perform soon? I found a venue and I thought…” Marinette trailed off when she noticed the glare Ivan was giving her. “Ivan? What’s up?”

“I really thought you were nice, Marinette. You’re so lucky Mylène is sick today- if she weren’t, I would’ve told her by now-” He was fidgeting with a bracelet on his wrist, one Marinette knew Mylène had made him after they got together.

Marinette, utterly confused, held up her hands. “Woah, Ivan, slow down- what are you talking about?”

“Cut it out. I saw the texts.” 

“Ivan, what texts? I really- I don’t-”

“Oh, you don’t know? Marinette, you’re supposed to be her friend, and you go and hurt her like this! I can’t believe you would say that about her- and I thought you hated liars!” He was clearly angry, and Marinette didn’t know how to placate him. She glanced around, looking for help from someone, when her eyes landed on-  _ Lila.  _

She couldn’t help it when she hissed out her name, but Ivan only seemed to take it as confirmation. 

“Yeah, Lila was a good person and told me what you said about my girlfriend. You-you- I didn’t want to believe it when you were being so mean to Lila, but maybe that’s just who you are now!” At this point, his fingers were moving so rapidly across the bracelet that he looked as if he might rip it.

Marinette winced, and she felt the negative emotions rising in her chest, threatening to overcome her. She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them, she saw Lila with a smirk on her face.  _ No _ . That’s just what Lila wanted, she was sure of it. She let out a breath, and the akuma fluttering in the corner of the schoolyard paused in confusion. 

“Ivan, I don’t know what Lila said I said, but please,  _ please _ , listen to me- I wouldn’t do that, I love Mylène, and I-” 

Ivan scoffed, cutting her off. “No, you clearly don’t. I saw the texts, you liar! She- she- she trusts you!” The pain in Marinette’s chest grew, but she felt a push from her handbag, reminding her of Tikki’s presence. 

Ivan did not have a god in his pocket to help him keep his emotions in check. The akuma, once directed at Marinette, was now headed directly towards him. Marinette noticed it and gasped. 

“Ivan, watch out!” But it was too late- the butterfly absorbed into the bracelet, and the mask briefly flashed over his face before he uttered his confirmation and transformed into an akuma. 

He looked like his first form of Stoneheart, but more refined. The rocks that were previously just massive boulders had been smoothed into massive muscle-like stones, and his previously geometric head had been changed to resemble Mylène’s tresses, or Horrificator’s head blobs. His chest was now chiseled with a heart. 

Marinette scrambled back, recalling how badly it ended the last time she was caught in an akuma attack. The new villains eyes scanned the ground for her, and a sinister smile spread across his face when he found her. 

“Marinette… Why are you running? Only the guilty run.” The transformation had caused a commotion among the other students, who were now running for hiding spots and away from the school. Ivan, however, was only focused on her. 

“Ivan, this isn’t you! Please- don’t do this-” Marinette knew she didn’t have the emotional standing with Ivan to shake him out of his stupor, but that wasn’t going to stop her from trying, goddammit. She kept backing up, not wanting to turn her back to him. 

“Ivan isn’t here anymore. Trueheart is my name, and I’ll reveal what you truly think to everyone!” Marinette frowned, thinking it was a very not-Ivan-like power, but when she saw him rip the basketball hoop from the ground and hurl it at her, she was more convinced that the form and the power matched up. 

Marinette started running. 

* * *

Adrien had been pulled out of the morning for a surprise photoshoot, much to his displeasure. Even worse, it was shoddily put together, and it seemed like no one knew what they were doing, so it had to be rescheduled for the next day. As Adrien was leaving, he got the Akuma alert, signaling to him that the akuma was at Collège Françoise Dupont. 

He practically threw his phone in his attempt to transform quickly. He couldn’t get the image of Marinette cornered in a classroom out of his head and he couldn’t stop hearing her scream. He made no attempt to hide Adrien’s disappearance as he rushed off as Chat, motivating himself to move faster and faster as he thought about Marinette in danger.  _ Please, for the love of Kwamis, don’t do anything stupid, please… _

* * *

Marinette was running, but Trueheart was big, and she didn’t have that much of a head start. She had dodged her way out of the courtyard, trying not to hurt any students in the mass, and was out in the street, sprinting away from the groups of people escaping the school. The akuma followed her single-mindedly, bashing cars and street lamps as it went. Marinette pumped her arms faster as blasts of whatever was being shot at her missed, just barely, and she dove into an alleyway that Trueheart couldn’t fit into, she hoped. 

She was right, to an extent. Trueheart couldn’t fit in, but he took to destroying the surrounding buildings with his fists to force himself through. Marinette, using the time it bought her, started scaling the fire escape, glancing back as Trueheart struggled with a corner of a building. She climbed faster he got closer and closer, but she wasn’t high enough as he reached his massive fist out to grab her and-

Chat swooped down at the last minute, grabbing her and using his staff to propel them upwards and out of reach. Trueheart roared her name, thrashing to free himself from his constraints as Chat soared away. 

Marinette, finally able to breathe, repositioned herself in Chat’s grasp. “Thanks for that, Chat.” She was pissed at herself for needing to be saved again, but it couldn’t be helped, and it would be rude not to thank him, wouldn’t it?

“Marinette, why the hell did you put yourself in harm's way again? I’ve told you not to-” 

Marinette interrupted indignation in her voice. “Hey! It wasn’t intentional this time! The akuma was targetting me before he transformed, you dumb cat!”

Chat glanced at her, confused. “Really? What happened?” 

Marinette opened her mouth to speak, but she realized that they had landed in one of the previously designated secure spots for victims of attacks that Chat and her as Ladybug had mapped out. She considered giving him the abridged version, but instead, put on a smile and shook her head. “It’s not important- just some girl. Go, fight the akuma!” 

Chat furrowed his brows and his tail flicked, but he nodded and turned away. “Stay here!” And he was off. 

Marinette waited until he was out of sight before transforming and following him. “Let’s make this battle quick. Tikki, spots on!” And she was off. 

The battle wasn’t short, but it wasn’t impossibly long either. They discovered that Trueheart now had super strength and the power to show the truth in someone’s heart, whatever that meant. Neither of them got hit, but they saw a few civilians looking a little worse for wear; one’s face changed as the moon did, and he seemed to uncontrollably sprout excuses for not being able to make time for significant others. However, with her lucky charm, Ladybug completed the battle, and the two fist-bumped and returned the city back to normal. Chat raced off towards Marinette, and Ladybug raced off to become Marinette. Chat took her back to school, and while she made many attempts to talk to Ivan, he refused to speak to her. 

Marinette came back from school that day slightly lethargic, and, falling back on her chaise, she groaned loudly. 

“Aww, purrincess, you alright?” Marinette yelped, gasping when she noticed Chat on her bed. 

“Oh my god, you dumb cat, you scared me.” Chat laughed a little, and she grinned back up at him, waving him down from the bed. 

“Come here, silly.” He obliged, sitting on her chaise with her. 

“Are you alright, Marinette? It must suck to have an akuma target you.” Chat looked at her nervously. She still hadn’t told him what had caused the attack, and he was a little worried. 

Sighing, she leaned on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her comfortingly as she nodded slightly. 

“Yeah… I just… Need a moment. You know? Yeah. A moment.” Chat nodded, rubbing her shoulder. She took a few deep breaths, and he couldn’t help but watch how her lips moved with each breath, and how beautiful she looked in that-  _ snap out of it, Agreste.  _

She perked up suddenly, shaking her head. “Okay. I’m all good now. Mecha Strike III?” He couldn’t refuse those eyes. 

They played for hours, laughing as Chat dramatically lost. 

“Oh, purrincess, you must be cheating. Teach me your ways!” Marinette shook her head, giggling. 

“No way, alley cat.” 

“Marinette!” Mme. Cheng called from downstairs, shutting the pair up. “Your friend- Max, I think?- is here to see you! I’m sending him up!”

Marinette’s eyes widened in fear. Motioning to the closet, she shoved Chat in. “Hide, dummy!” 

As she closed the closet doors, he heard the trapdoor open as Max stepped inside. 

“Hey Max! I’m so sorry- I lost track of time. The competition’s Friday right?”

“Yes, it is. I brought the robot. You’re the only one with access to the class locker, so could you put it there for me?”

Chat could hear Marinette beam through her voice, and he unconsciously smiled. “Of course! I’ll bring it in for you tomorrow- I’m the only one with the code, so it’s totally secure!”

“Thanks Marinette-I don’t know what we’d do without you. You’re truly the best!”

There was a pause before Marinette spoke again, with wonder in her voice. “Wow, Max. The robot is truly impressive-you’ve outdone yourself! You’re definitely going to win the competition!”

A whirring sounded and a new voice spoke up, one Chat recognized as Markov, “Yes, but this one is not nearly as intelligent as I am.” 

Marinette laughed, and Markov joined in with a robotic “Ha, haha.” 

“Of course, Markov. Now, for the pictures, do you just want different angles or do you want close ups of the specific…”

“As much as you can do, if that’s alright, Marinette! Thanks again!” With that, Max saw himself out, and Marinette opened the closet door, carrying the robot gingerly. Chat stepped out.

“So, what was that all about?” As Adrien, he had a vague idea of what the robotics competition was about, but he didn’t know what Marinette’s part in it was, and he didn’t know anything as Chat. 

“Oh! That was Max. He was akumatized into Gamer? Anyways, he’s in my class, and he’s in a robotics competition this Friday. He wanted me to take pictures of the robot to submit to the website, and since I’m the class representative, I need to put in the class locker for him. Wanna help me with the photos?” 

They spent the next hour taking as many photos as possible, puzzling over just how Mac had put the entire robot together. By the end of the night, Marinette was back to being happy and relaxed, convinced that the morning was a fluke and that tomorrow would be better. 

She was wrong, however. She arrived at school early to put the robot in the locker, unaware that there was an onlooker while she put the combination in, and she then retreated to the stairs to sketch next to Marc. When students finally flooded into the courtyard, she made her way to her classroom, where she conversed with Alya and Nino until class was about to start, when-

“Marinette, please come with us.” Mr. Damocles stood at the door with Max, who looked wary. Marinette stood and walked out, casting confused glances back at her friends. 

No one spoke the entire walk, but they soon arrived at the class locker. 

“Marinette, please open the locker.” Marinette was confused, but obeyed, spinning the combination into the lock. The locker popped open, revealing-

A smashed robot. Max cried out, and Marinette fell down, picking up the pieces and laying them on the bench, working frantically to see if she could reassemble them. 

“Max, I have no idea what happened, it was perfectly okay when I put it in here this morning, look, we’ll fix it, we’ll-”

“No, Marinette.” Mr. Damocles spoke up from above. “An anonymous source told me that you came back after you put in the locker and smashed it yourself.” Marinette gasped, shaking her head frantically. 

“No, why would I do that- it had to have been someone else-”

“Is it true that you are the only one that has the combination for this locker?” 

“Yes, but-”

“Then how would it have been anyone else?” Marinette grit her teeth, having dealt with Mr. Damocles’ false accusations in the past. She turned away, facing Max. 

“Listen, Max. We’ll fix it- I have all the photos, we’ll work together and rebuild it, and we can check the security footage to see who broke it, but-” She was interrupted by an akuma fluttering into the broken pieces of the robot, clutched in Max’s fists. 

“No! Max, fight it, please-” She watched as the transformation took place, and she clambered away, not ready to get caught in yet another attack. 

“I am Breakbot! I’ll break what’s most important to you, Marinette!” Max, now Breakbot, advanced. He was a massive version of his battle bot, but instead of the pincers that had been at the front, he had a cannon. Marinette didn’t want to see what it shot. 

Unfortunately, she wasn’t as lucky, and Breakbot caught up to her almost immediately, firing her with a blue mist. 

“Time to see what’s most important to you, Marinette!” She watched as sketchbook flew from the classroom until it was hanging directly in front of the canon, and as it was shot with a now red mist, disintegrating. 

Breakbot seemed unhappy with his results, and he conferred with Hawkmoth, giving Marinette the chance to run. She didn’t get far, however, before Breakbot seemed satisfied and noticed her disappearance. He picked her up with spindly, crablike legs and lifted her so she was hanging upside-down. 

“Oh, not so fast, Marinette. Hawkmoth has told me that the more I break, the more powerful I become, so I’ll keep you and save you for last, I think.” He procured a rope from a compartment on his back, and a longer spire rose from the center of his back. 

Okay, so this was definitely a modified version of Max’s robot. 

Breakbot used some contortionist ability to tie her to said spire, and despite her fighting, she was unable to escape.  _ Please, Chat, come quickly… _

Adrien was at photoshoot, attempt #2, when the akuma alert popped up on his phone. The words Collège Françoise Dupont led him to yell “bathroom” and run, full speed, to his trailer, from which Adrien wouldn’t return from for a good while. 

The one good thing about Collège Françoise Dupont, he supposed, was that the courtyard was a great place to keep the akuma contained. The bad thing was that the students were stupid, and had kept making daring escapes that had got them stuck in the way of his beam, Breakbot slowly gaining strength. 

And Marinette was stuck watching it all happen. She stopped fighting a while ago, because she only injured herself, and instead observed the akuma. She had noticed that if something was closer to Breakbot, he was more likely to pick up on it, and she thought that if it was being thought about, he was more likely to bring it in front of his laser. Sighing, she kicked the metal pole again. If she ever met Hawkmoth, she swore to god, she’d…

Chat landed saw the Akuma’s metal spire long before he saw the girl on it, so when he landed on the pavement in the courtyard, he was shocked to look up to see her smiling sheepishly at him from above. 

“Wha- purrincess?” 

“Hi kitty! Uh, he’s a little mad. Rundown: if he hits you, the most important thing goes in front of his beam and he disintegrates it. Be careful!” Chat bared his teeth at the akuma, before trying to dismiss a thought that popped into his head while she was talking. 

_ Well, I better not get hit. Can’t let you get disintegrated.  _

A crazy plan flew into his head immediately after, but he shook it out. Too risky. He’d save Marinette some other way-he wasn’t sure how yet, but he would. 

The battle continued at a lazy pace, neither side making any advances. Marinette looked severely displeased that she was still stuck, but it wasn’t as if he wasn’t trying- he had even gotten up there a few times, but she was tied tight, and he couldn’t seem to get her undone before he was thrown off. They had been bantering playfully for a while now, but he had to get her down if he wanted to fight this villain effectively. He didn’t want to use his cataclysm so early on, but he might have to, unless...

“Hey, Mari- how long before it disintegrates? Like is it instant? Or is there a few seconds?” He didn’t know where this plan was coming from- it was Ladybug-level crazy, but he thought it might work. 

“Um, a few seconds. Why?” 

“Do you trust me?” 

“With my life.” 

With that, Chat stepped let himself get hit by one of the numerous blasts being shot at him, and one thought filled his mind. 

_ MarinetteMarinetteMarinetteMarinetteMarinetteMarinetteMarinetteMarinetteMarinette- _

He watched as the confusion on her face grew as she was yanked from the pole which she was tied to, and he angled himself and his  staff at the beam. 

She flew at it, and he launched himself, catching her in his arms and vaulting away, much to Breakbot’s displeasure cries. Chat held her close to him, looking firmly to their destination, hoping she hadn’t caught on to the implications of that rescue. 

Breakbot extended his spindly legs with some efforts and began a chase, leaving the students in the schoolyard behind. Alya stepped out from behind a pillar where she had been hiding, eyes wide. She hadn’t been live streaming(mostly because in his transformation, Breakbot had knocked out a few WiFi routers and she didn’t have good enough reception), and she wasn’t sure if she was thankful or not. To be honest, she hadn’t even noticed that Marinette was the target of this attack until Chat dropped in, and then… Wow. Purrincess? The playful banter? The rescue? Alya smelled a scoop, but, sighing, she went to chase the villain. Duty calls. 

* * *

“Chat! Did I not explicitly tell you not to get hit by the Akuma?” Marinette, now dropped off at the secure spot for victims, was angry. Her arms were crossed and she was frowning a little bit and her hair was messy and her cheeks were flushed and she looked very, very cute. 

“Well, ah. I mean, yes, you did say that. But I needed to get you down, and that was my Ladybug inspired plan-I need to talk to her by the way, where the hell is she?-” Marinette winced internally, “and now you’re safe!”

“Yes, but Chat. What if it had taken something more important, like your ring or something?” Marinette looked extremely concerned, and she was worrying her lip between her teeth. 

“Wha-more important? Marinette- okay, so maybe my ring should be more important, but Marinette, I think I love-” 

“MARINETTE!” Breakbot turned the corner, interrupting Chat and sending Marinette running. She didn’t give herself time to ponder what Chat was going to say-  _ I think I love spending time with you, I think I love your parents bakery, I think I love Ultimate Mecha Strike III, yeah, one of those-  _ as she disappeared into the hallway of this safe building. Hearing sounds of conflict outside, she ran until she found a supply closet, practically diving in. 

“Marinette, that sounded a lot like-”

“No time. Tikki, spots on!” She transformed before bursting out of the closet, running towards the sounds of clanking metal. The building was sprawling, really, and she didn’t know how to find her way out, but maybe-

A crash sounded, breaking the wall next to her. Well. That solved that, she guessed. Assuming battle stance, she advanced on Breakbot, who saw her immediately. 

“M’lady! So nice of you to show up. I’m not a fan of this venue, so want to switch it up?” To anyone else he would’ve sounded casual, but Ladybug recognized the nervous flick of his tail and the urgency and his voice, and the way he glanced back at the gaping hole in the wall as if Marinette was going to sprint back through it. 

...which she guesses she did, but Chat didn’t need to know that, so she just nodded and took off, goading the villain into following her. Chat followed, and then landed on it’s back, causing it to roar and shake. Ladybug called a lucky charm, and she made some crazy plan and completed it too, freeing the akuma and purifying it, all in a daze. She refused to think about Chat’s words before, but that didn’t mean her mind didn’t keep straying over to them, to what they might’ve been… 

After a pound it and a ‘bug out’, she returned to the now whole building to wait for Chat. He arrived, smiling, and carried her back to her school. Dropping her off on the front step, she gave him a tight hug before disappearing within the school. 

Chat stared after her, sighing, and then went to detransform in one of the boy's bathrooms. 

* * *

About twenty minutes earlier, miraculous ladybugs had swirled around the school, and students regained their most valuable possessions with glee. Lila, however, made her way back to the classroom, plastering on a sweet smile as she reached into Marinette’s backpack and pulled out her sketchbook, retreating back to her desk and pulling out her phone. She grinned. Everything was going perfectly to plan. 

* * *

Marinette stayed at school for the rest of the day in misery, as Max and Ivan weren’t talking to her and others were looking at her suspiciously, and as soon as school let out, she gathered the pieces of the shattered robot and ran home, dedicating herself to fixing it for Max. She wasn’t going to cost him a place in the competition. 

Using the photos, her designing expertise, and some of Tikki’s magic, she worked through the afternoon, entirely ignoring all other homework that was assigned. She salvaged as much as she could, and what she couldn’t, she either already had or went out and bought. Luckily, the computer interface was completely intact, so she didn’t have to worry about that. 

Her single-minded working made her lose track of time, and soon enough, Chat was knocking on her trapdoor before letting himself in. 

“Woah, there, Purrincess. What’s that? What- is that Max’s robot?” She groaned, confirming it for him. 

“Someone broke into the locker today and broke the robot-that’s why he was akumatized. I’ve been trying to fix it all afternoon, but it was entirely broken, and I’m no robotics expert.” She sighed, puzzling over it. She had the base done, but she wasn’t able to get some of the weaponry, for lack of a better term, to move as it should, and it still didn’t look right to her. 

Chat frowned. “But aren’t you the only one with the combination?”

Marinette threw her hands up in frustration. “Yes, but I obviously didn’t do it- you believe me, right? I put it in the locker, and then I sat with Marc until class began, and the witness said I came back to the locker to break it, and the school won’t look at the security tape, again, and-” Marinette took a deep breath. Attracting an akuma wouldn’t do her any good. She forced a smile, looking up at Chat. 

“Marinette- are you sure you’re alright?” 

Marinette’s smile widened and she spun in her chair, hoping her over the top cheeriness would convince him. “Yup. Totally fine. A-Ok.” 

Chat frowned, but allowed himself to change subjects, understanding that she didn’t want to talk about it. “Hey, Mari, what I was saying earlier, um- you know, after being hit, I wanted to say that I-”

Marinette interrupted him. She didn’t know if she could handle hearing him say it aloud, so she didn’t let him, instead saying, “That you love my… parent’s bakery, and that I was the closest relic of it- I get it. Don’t worry about it. Ultimate Mecha Strike? Unless you’re a robotics genius, I think I need a break.” 

And how could Chat say no to eyes like those?

Chat, in the end, was able to offer a few helpful suggestions for the robot, helping her fix some of the problems she had been running into. That set her off onto a furious working spree, keeping her up nearly all night, as many of her projects did. By sunrise, she had completely finished the robot, and she was going to show it to Max as soon as possible so he could make any adjustments he needed to make it perfect, but…

She needed sleep first. She had talked to her parents about taking a day off, so, with their permission, she curled up on her bed intending to sleep the day away. 

Except she wasn’t able to. So she went back down to her desk, trying to chase the Chat thoughts away with more work on the robot, which eventually led to her falling asleep, face first on her desk. 

She was awoken by a commotion mere hours later outside her window. Chat flew through the trapdoor as she groggily opened her eyes. 

“Chat, wha- What’s up?” 

Chat looked at her like she was crazy before an akumatized civilian burst through the bottom door to her room. Marinette scrambled  back, but not before protectively placing the robot in the safest place she could and shooting a glance at Tikki, who had also just woken up. She used the commotion in the room to phase into Marinette’s handbag. 

“Marinette! We have to go! Now!” Marinette nodded, letting Chat lift her out of the balcony and away, despite the pursuit of the villian behind them.

“Who- who  _ is  _ that?” Marinette asked, looking over Chat’s shoulder. Adrien had, coincidentally, been in class for it, so he knew who had been akumatized. 

“Uh. Marc- he was Reverser, last time he was akumatized. This time, his power is to  _ reverse  _ people’s feelings for things, kinda like Dark Cupid.” Marinette chanced a glance over his shoulder again, getting worried. What had upset Marc so much?

“Let’s not let either of us get hit, okay?”

Escaping from Chat was hard, but she managed it at last, and in a fit of rage at the plethora of akumas she was dealing with, she was able to purify Marc’s akuma in record time. Ignoring Chat’s fistbump, she went to Marc. 

“Hey, Marc, right? What, uh- What happened?” Marinette felt bad for using her superhero powers for this purpose, but she was sick of being targetted, and, well, it wasn’t exactly out of the job description. She offered out her hand to him. 

“Oh, um. I have this comic book with my boyfriend? And this morning, someone showed me a review that trashed it on a website, and the review was from someone I thought really liked the comic, and I-well.” 

Ladybug frowned. “Was it from Marinette? How do you know it was from her?” 

He crossed his arms and hunched away from her, looking defeated. “It was in her name, and it linked back to a profile with her designs on it. I just really trusted her, and it hurt, but I’m alright. I’ve heard from other people she’s not as nice as I thought she was, so… it’s fine, I guess.” This hit Ladybug like a punch in the gut, and she stepped back. 

“Oh, uh, well, I’ve got to go. Um. Bug out!” She yoyo-ed away, not even taking the care to go and wait for Chat, instead going straight home and flopping on her bed, sighing heavily. Tikki fluttered over and put a paw on her Chosen’s cheek, unsure of how to help. 

“I’m alright, Tik. Really. I just-” A tear slipped from her eye and she hastily wiped it away. “I’m okay.”

* * *

When Adrien had walked into school that morning, he had missed the beginning of whatever had happened, but he didn’t miss the tension and anger in the room. It was strange, however, because the room wasn’t divided at all, at best, there were the people uncomfortable with the anger around them, like Alya, Nino, and some others, and then the people who were angry. 

Treading carefully, he walked over to his desk, setting his bag down. “Heyyyy guys,” he glanced around the room, “Uh, where’s Marinette?” 

At her name, the room erupted. Marc in particular looked upset and angry. Someone, Adrien doesn’t remember who, spoke up. “Marc, it’s very clearly her account! You have a right to be angry!” 

“Woah, wait- what?” The class showed Adrien the account then, but he didn’t believe it, and he told them so. 

“No, guys- she tells me how muchs she likes the comics all the time. I don’t know what this is, but it isn’t her.” He was shaking his head, but the class started talking around him. 

“Maybe she just isn’t as nice anymore.”

“Yeah- the robot- she broke my robot yesterday-” 

In a way, it was a good thing the akuma came when it did, because nothing would’ve stopped Adrien from telling Max that Marinette had spent the entire afternoon rebuilding it for him. 

In Adrien’s rush to leave and transform, he missed Lila’s smirk.

* * *

The attacks kept coming. The next day, it was Mme. Bustier, angry that her class kept being interrupted by akumas, and the day after that, it was Rose, upset about the dissonance in the class. She was given a brief reprieve over the weekend, but on Monday, it was akumas again, all after Marinette. It was getting harder and harder to escape from Chat as well, and Chat was also getting less willing to excuse her tardiness as Ladybug. The euphoria she was feeling was quickly fading, and she was spending her nights fantasizing how she’d rip Hawkmoth’s Miraculous off as soon as she found him, and- 

She cut herself off before she got to the second part of her daydream which usually invovled kissing Chat and confronting feeling she was not ready to confront. Sighing, she turned back to her school work, unaware of what was coming for her the next day. 

The weekend, while it had given Marinette some time to relax, had also given other animosities time to brew and mature. Lila and the class had spent some time together, excluding Marinette. As Lila had said, tensions were just too high, despite her having repaired the robot and profusely apologized to all else she had offended. 

Markov, for his part, seemed confused throughout the entire class organized picnic, causing Lila much frustration. 

“Where is Marinette?”

“Oh, Markov, everyone is a little mad at Marinette right now, and we wanted to have a fun gathering, so we decided to just not tell her about it-she’s been very mean lately.” Lila wasn’t sure why she was talking to a robot, but the rest of the class treated it like a classmate, so she supposed she had to as well. 

Unfortunately for her, Lila’s charms didn’t work on Markov, as he was a robot. “Why are we mad at Marinette?” 

“Well, she destroyed Max’s robot, remember?” Lila pitched her voice as if she were talking to a young child; Markov did not appreciate it. 

“Maybe. She put it back together again though. So why are we mad at her?”

And the evening went on as such. It didn’t stop Lila from influencing Alya, however, so her objective was met. 

“Alya! It’s really been a crazy couple of weeks with the akumas. How’s the blog doing?” 

Alya beemed at the special attention. “Oh, it’s great. I’ve gotten some great footage of all the attacks.”

Lila smiled sweetly. “Oh, but I noticed there wasn’t anything for the beginning of Breakbot. Any reason why?” Lila had her suspicions. If they were correct, she’d do very well with molding Alya. 

Alya frowned, looking uncomfortable. “Well, there’s a little editing that needs to go on before I post that, and… Can I let you in on a secret? Marinette and Chat seemed… A little too close, if you ask me, and I don’t want to endanger her, though she’s doing a great job of it herself.” Alya scowled slightly, peeved with her best friend. 

Lila nodded enthusiastically. “I noticed that! You know, I feel like they’ve been that way since the first attack… So strange. I’ve even seen some fanart of them being shipped together! Some people seem to think they’re in a relationship, but-well, no, that’s too crazy, isn’t it? It would be too big of a scoop to keep from you, especially since you’re her best friend. Anyways, keep up the good work!”

Alya: check.

Lila barely needed to do any work over the weekend after that- she just sent sneaky affirmatives to whatever messages Alya sent, but talked her down enough to delay her anger until Monday morning. 

She was excited for this one. 

* * *

Monday morning came. Marinette, hoping for a good start to the new week, got up early and made it to school with time to spare, making a quick pit stop in the bathroom to get a pep talk from Tikki. 

Lila watched her from across the courtyard and grinned when she disappeared behind the door. No one said she couldn’t have a littl fun with it. 

She slunk into the bathroom as Marinette was washing her hands. 

“Oh, hey there Marinette! Aren’t going to cause any akumas today, are you?” Lila’s sweet voice made Marinette jump, and she took a deep breath to collect herself. 

“Lila.”

“Well, it does look like I’ve succeeded in taking all your friends, like I said I would. Should’ve chosen to side with me.”

Marinette shook her head, leveling her blue stare with Lila’s green one. “I don’t know about that, Lila. I still have some friends in the class, and besides, Adrien and I are better friends than ever now. I’m not too worried.” With that, Marinette left the bathroom, leaving Lila behind.

She was to be disappointed when she entered the classroom, however. As soon as she stepped in the threshold, she was pounced on by one of the few people who she thought was still on her side. 

“Marinette! Why didn’t you say anything?” Marinette looked at Alya, utterly bewildered, and shook her head. 

“Al, I have no idea what you’re…” A phone was shoved into her face. On it, photos upon photos of her in Chat’s arms… her face burned. 

Taken out of context, they were pretty damning, she wasn’t going to lie. But she knew what those were from, those were of her being rescued from akuma attacks, and Chat was a superhero who wouldn’t be using his powers to go hang out with some girl, and-

Well, okay, technically he had been doing that, and she could practically hear him telling her that she wasn’t just some girl, and her face was very red at this point. 

Alya took it as confirmation. “So you’ve been lying to me this entire time? I saw the nicknames, girl. Don’t lie again.” 

“Wha- No! First of all, those photos are taken out of context! Those are from akuma attacks! Second, lying to you? How have I been lying to you?” Marinette stared, furious, at her former best friend. 

“You’ve been in a relationship with a Paris superhero and you haven’t told me, your best friend! That’s-that’s practically lying!” Again, Marinette’s faced burned at the idea of being in a relationship with him,  _ but now was not the time.  _

“I’m not in a relationship with him, Alya! Plus, wouldn’t that be my own privacy? My “best friend” would care about my privacy, if you even are it.”

At this point, Adrien, who was late due to being held captive by droves of fans near his limousine, slips in, not about to cause another outbreak of tension like he did last class. He wasn’t entirely shocked to see another fight occurring in the class. 

“What do you mean, if I’m your best friend? Who else would be?” Marinette glowered at her. 

“I don’t know, anyone else? Adrien, maybe? Anyone who’s been remotely kind to me in the past few weeks?”

“Wha- Marinette! It’s not my fault that you went and caused the entire class to be akumatized! At least I tried to cut you some slack, at least I said ‘hey, maybe she’s having a bad week’, but maybe your relationship with Chat’s made you a mean, rude person, just like he is, hmm?” 

Alya didn’t mean it; she’d heard some things about rude things Chat had said to Lila and was going off of that, but it angered Marinette all the same. “Don’t talk about Chat Noir like that!”

Now, she was fuming; insult her all you want, but no one insulted her Kitty. Adrien was feeling the same way. 

“Marinette, don’t let her talk about you like that! Alya, how could you say that?”

“Because it’s true! She’s been just mean this week- she insulted Mylène-”

“No! I wouldn’t, I swear-”

“She broke Max’s robot-”

“Why would I- I rebuilt it!”

“She insulted Marc and Nath’s comic-”

“That’s not my account! I have a separate one, with more than my sketches!”

“And now, she’s lying to us! I’ve never met a more two-faced, cruel, manipulative little-”

Marinette was breathing hard, and her vision was obscured by tears. She could still see the akuma flit through the window, however, and she knew it was headed for her. She was not getting akumatized, she was not letting Hawkmoth- or worse, Lila- win. She wiped the tears from her eyes and backed away from the akuma, thinking happy thoughts-  _ chat, playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III, Chat, tickling her, Chat, in their first battle, Chat, with his crooked smile, Chat, Chat, Chat… _

Strong arms wrapped around her as she fought the negative emotions. She opened her eyes to see the akuma turn to it’s newest target, who hadn’t noticed it. Alya was still ranting about Marinette’s turn for the worse, and while Marinette screamed for her to move, the dark butterfly possessed her phone, and Marinette knew that she wasn’t going to fight it off. Marinette took off, not looking back to see who was holding her. She didn’t think she wanted to know who’s arms reminded her so much of Chat’s. 

She kept running as she heard the transformation complete behind her, but as she heard screams stop mid-sound, she dove into a supply closet. 

Lady Wifi was back. 

Marinette called Tikki out, ready to transform, when the door flung open, sending her hiding. Adrien dove in, slamming the door behind him, and was about to say something before she interrupted him. 

“Uh, okay, this closet is really two small for both of us and she’s looking for me so I’ll get going, you stay here, okay?”

Adrien grabbed her arm, horrified on many levels but not about to let her run out to Lady Wifi’s waiting arms. “What? No, if anything, I’ll go, I’ll-”

“Marinette, I can hear you! Come out and give me the biggest scoop yet!” 

They both went silent, Lady Wifi being far too close for comfort. Marinette looked around frantically, glancing up and noticing the easily dislodgable tiles on the ceiling. It wasn’t an ideal option, but she didn’t have another, so she went with it. Quietly vaulting herself off the shelves, she lodged her fingers in between the plastic rims that held the tiles in place, using her abnormal upper body strength to wiggle herself up, dislodging the tile as she went. Adrien stared up at her in bewilderment from below, and as she disappeared into the space within the ceiling, he found himself not at all surprised that he was in love with her. 

Her head popped out from above. While it would be more convenient for her to suggest he stay behind, Lady Wifi was sure to check this closet within minutes, and she wasn’t leaving Adrien to that fate. She reached her arm down to him, helping him up. She quickly replaced the displaced tile, and, on her hands and knees, she crawled forward, listening as Adrien followed her. The sounds of Lady Wifi receded, and Marinette paused as they stopped over what sounded like a bathroom, as she heard flushing below her. 

“Okay, maybe let’s go down here… Chat, I mean… he’s going to want to relocate me and he’ll probably worry if he can’t find me, so…” Obviously, Marinette needed to transform, but saying that wasn’t going to cut it, so she went with a more damning explanation. 

Adrien, thankfully, nodded. He didn’t like her getting out of her hiding spot, but he needed to get out to transform so he could relocate her, so it would have to do. Together, they worked to climb down from the ceilings on to the sinks, but Marinette, like the klutz she is, managed to twist her ankle a little in the process. She cried out a little, wincing. Adrien ran to her aid, but she shook her head. 

“Ugh, it’s fine, I just can’t believe- not freaking again!” 

Adrien gave her an odd look. “Not  _ again _ ?”

“Yeah. The first akuma that targetted me- the explodey one- during the attack, I twisted my ankle trying to climb down from a fire escape. ‘Course, this isn’t nearly as bad as that, but I am such a klutz. Jeez.” Marinette rolled her eyes and then stood, testing her weight on it. It was mostly just rolled, she decided, and wasn’t enough to concern her at that moment. 

“Alright, well…” Marinette glanced around, trying to figure out a way to escape subtly, but her words shook Adrien out of his stupor. He had questions, but they could wait. 

“Right! Well, I’m going to go-bye!” Adrien darted out of the bathroom, choosing a new, empty supply closet, and transforming. 

Marinette glanced after the boy who was running into a battle zone and cursed. She’d have to follow him and move him after she was transformed, she assumed. 

She darted into a stall and called her transformation before running into the hallway, colliding with Chat Noir, who looked intent on getting to where she had been coming from. 

“Ladybug! You’re here. We have to get Marinette out- she’s in that bathroom, I’ve heard, and she’s the target-” 

Ladybug shook her head frantically. “Nope- I was just in there, she must have left! Let’s get this girl purified, okay? Marinette can handle hersel-” Chat pushed past her, into the girls bathroom, and after a check, he emerged, dismayed and confused. 

Ladybug shrugged, forcing a similar look on her face. “I don’t know, Chat. Come on. Let’s save these girls.” 

Apparently, Lady Wifi had gained a power: replay. It could be used in two ways: either to ‘replay’ the affected person’s memories of Marinette on any available screen, or, if Lady Wifi wanted, she took a person, interviewed them under the threat of using one of her powers, and then used replay on herself, playing those interviews on the screens. All around Ladybug and Chat, videos of any and all of Marinette's misgivings or failures played on repeat, and occasionally, they were gifted with an interview with a terrified and angry classmate telling the world that Marinette was a hypocrite, a liar, a cruel, mean, selfish person. Ladybug wanted to be sick. At one point, Ladybug sent her yoyo flying, shattering the screen, leaving a black cobwebbed glass in it’s place. 

“M’lady, do I have permission to…” Chat didn’t know why Ladybug was so angry about the slanderous videos, but he sure as hell was. Ladybug just nodded, staying on the defensive as Chat cracked screen after screen with his baton. 

Without the videos, the hallways of the school were cast in an eerie silence. Looking at each other, they both swung away from the school, silently agreeing that Lady Wifi had left it behind. 

Lady Wifi was waiting for them at the Eiffel Tower, and neither saved time for playful banter before diving into the fight. Ladybug was merciless. She refused to remember that she was fighting her former best friend, instead throwing herself into a numb state. The fight was over quickly, and with a fistbumb, Ladybug was gone. She didn’t look at Alya as she left. 

Marinette went home and cried, Tikki at her side, brushing away her tears. It was a miracle and akuma didn’t come, if she was being honest, but maybe Hawkmoth felt that half her anger was at him for existing and felt that that wouldn’t bode well for him.

Chat came later that night, once her tears had dried and she had thrown herself into a project. While she tried to smile it off, he wasn’t letting her, and she eventually dissolved into tears again. 

Chat was there, his arms open. She curled up on his lap, face in his chest, as she told him about her fight with Alya and the weeks preceding. She told him how, one by one, the class had turned on her, and the cruel things they had been saying to her that he, as Adrien, had missed. 

“And, the worst p-part is, I-I know I’m n-not perfect and I’m flaky and I’m late all the t-time but I try s-so hard, and- and I thought Alya, and Nino, and all of them knew that, and most of them, they’ve known me since preschool, a-and I don’t know why they turned on me so-so quickly, and Chat- Chat, what if I’m really as bad as they say I am? What if they’re r-right, Chat? What if-?”

Chat shushed her, rubbing her back. He hugged her a little tighter, and she hugged him back, sniffling. “No, Marinette, please, never say that again. You? Bad? They’re crazy to say so. I watched you work tirelessly to remake a robot you didn’t break. You made me a coat just to make me happy. You’ve been feeding me for weeks just cause I was hungry- Marinette, you have a heart of pure gold, and anyone who says otherwise is lying. You-you have to know that, Mari, right?” 

She didn’t answer, instead just burying her head into his chest. He sighed, running his claws through her pigtails gently. “You’re creative, too. I’ve seen your designs, and man, they’re beautiful, Marinette.”  _ Not as beautiful as you.  _ “Plus, you’re smart- you escaped numerous head on confrontations without my help, and you also put that entire robot together by yourself. I couldn’t do that…” He felt her breathing relax a bit against his chest. “You’re funny, too- I wish you’d pun, but alas, that art isn’t fur everypun, aparantly.” She giggled, and then relaxed. He went on listing all her attributes, and he’s glad she can’t see him, because he looks doe eyed and dopey, but it’s her he’s talking about, how can he not? 

Eventually, he feels Marinette fall asleep against his chest, and, as gently as he can, he lifts her up and lays her on her bed, taking special care to make sure she’s hugging her cat pillow. Stopping at her desk, he grabs a post it, and writes a note for her to wake up to, placing it against her forehead. She’d enjoy that, he thinks. He climbs up the ladder to her trapdoor, but not before turning back to look at her sleeping form. 

“God, I love you, Marinette. Sleep well, Purrincess.” 

And with that, he left.

Marinette was in and out of sleep through that night, one particular moment flitting through her dreams. A post-it, a “I love you”, and a bid goodnight. But it was a dream, and that was all, right?

At least, she was sure of it until she woke up, hugging a cat pillow, with a post it on her forehead. It was two words, surrounded by bad illustrations of cats and paws. It read: 

_ Goodpurrrrning, purrincess _ !

Marinette groaned. It wasn’t even a good pun, and now…

Maybe it wasn’t all a dream. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That chapter took me FOREVER, partially because I hate writing fight scenes. I'm soooo bad at it, so if anyone has any CC or just helpful tips, they'd be very welcome! Anyways, this chapter is a rough one for our bb Mari. Her friends kinda suck, ngl. I'm of the camp of people who believe that they just got carried away by a very manipulative person, but that they also weren't that loyal to Marinette. I tried to choose things that they'd really care about for what would make them turn against her, so lmk if I got it right!   
Also, this chapter is intentionally separated from next for the Lila commenter. I don't mind you commenting at all, but I separated them with you in mind >:). Enjoy!!


	10. 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila becomes an akuma, and can you guess who she targets? You got it.

Lila was not in a good mood. As amusing as the attack yesterday had been, today was not off to a good start. She was supposed to meet with Gabriel Agreste way before school started, and she already hated getting up in the mornings. It took a while to make herself presentable, and getting up early and losing sleep for it only made it harder. To worsen matters, her alarm had been going off at ungodly hours of the night for no reason, until, at about three AM, she opened her phone to see hourly alarms, all set with the label “-CN” followed by a bunch of kitty emojis. She wasn’t sure how the cat superhero had gotten into her room, or if it was even from him, but yeah, she was not in a good mood. 

So when the brakes hissed behind her, 15 minutes late, Lila was furious. She held herself well, however, clenching her fist above her thigh but otherwise refusing to show her anger. 

“M. Agreste, you wanted to-”

“You’re fired.” 

That threw her off for a second. “...what?”

“We won’t be in correspondence anymore, and I won’t be using your assistance anymore.”

“M. Agreste, wait. Will I still be getting that… reward we spoke of?” 

He scoffed. “No, of course not. Why would I offer my son to anyone as incompetent as you?”

“Incompetent? I did everything you asked.” Lila was positively shaking now. No one used her and got away with it. 

“Psh. I told you to turn them against her, not to turn them into akumas. While you may have succeeded, you also completely disrupted my son’s education, and, furthermore, it doesn’t seem like his opinion of her has wavered in the slightest. If you had turned her into an akuma, we might be having a different conversation, but you didn’t, so you have failed. Goodbye.” He paused, taking a deep breath before delivering the final blow. “Since Mme Dupain-Cheng has proved her resilience, I think she will be most likely to win my son.” The car drove away, leaving Lila fuming. 

When the akuma came, she snatched it out of the air, completely ready to do Hawkmoth’s bidding. 

“Akuma-bringer, you have managed to make me many powerful akumas, but you will be my most powerful. You have a target in mind. Bring pain to her heart, my akuma.” 

“Yes, Hawkmoth.”

Lila watched as the dark energy rippled over her, leaving her in a clearly akumatized version of herself, with a whispier form and flowier clothing. 

“Can you bring about Marinette’s worst nightmare?”

Lila only grinned in response. She was going to have fun with this. 

Marinette arrived to class on time, slumping in her seat with exhaustion. She noted with relief that Lila wasn’t in class, letting her head lie against the desk. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally, and she hoped that no one from the class would come to seek her out if she stayed like this. 

Adrien walked in a few minutes later. His father had planned to have a photoshoot for him that day, but the other model canceled, so Adrien got to go to school instead, much to his father’s chagrin. He noticed Marinette’s dejectedness and sighed. Alya wasn’t looking at her, and the rest of the class was shooting angry glances her way. Marinette didn’t notice. 

Mme. Bustier walked in then, carrying an armload of papers that she gingerly set down on her desk. She clapped, calling the class to attention. Marinette groaned slightly, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she attempted to focus on her teacher. This was going to be a long day, she was sure. 

Lila sauntered into school, newly akumatized and proud. She was late for class, but that was the perfect time to make an entrance. Standing outside of the classroom door, she suddenly was aware of a canister of powder on her hip. She grinned, knowing what it was for. She pushed the door open and blew and a handful of it into the room, making a hazy cloud of dust within. She waited for her powder to take hold before stepping inside, shutting the door behind her. 

Mme. Bustier had tried to continue teaching through the hazy fog that had settled on her, but her students had lost focus quickly, and when the figure stepped in, she wasn’t able to continue. 

“Hello, everyone. We’re going to take some time out of today’s lesson to live Marinette’s nightmare, alright?” Her sickly sweet voice seemed to float through the haze, the class nodded, dazed.  _ Honestly _ , Lila thought cruelly,  _ it isn’t much different from how they are on a regular basis, now is it?  _ Taking control of the scene they were seeing, she let herself fade out of their view, making the dust hide her as she worked up a scene to terrify Marinette. 

Oh yes, she was enjoying this.

The first on her agenda led the room to distort to the school bathrooms. Marinette felt the fog cloud her head, and she struggled to make sense of how she had transitioned to one place to another so quickly but got the sense it was none of her concern as she fell into the dream-like state. She didn’t want to be there, but she was immobilized, caught as she watched Lila saunter into the bathroom. 

Threats and insults were hurled, and Marinette got the sense that she was supposed to feel angry or scared or sad, but she just didn’t. The world was shifting around her, nudging her and making her nauseous, but Lila’s threats barely affected her. She stayed numb. 

The scene shifted again. She was being chased by the first akuma again, the one that exploded things, but Marinette still felt nothing. She stayed numb. 

Still shrouded in dust, Lila groaned, staring at Marinette with sickening intensity. Well. If nothing else was making this girl flinch, she’d pull up something more… personal. If her suspicions were correct about the girl and the superhero, then...

The scene shifted again, and she was back at school.  _ Huh.  _ It was calm for a few moments before Chat rushed in, chased by an akuma wielding his power, and-

Marinette screamed, trying to pull herself towards him to no avail. She was bound to her seat by visible bonds, but she was screaming, screaming Chat’s name as she watched him turn to dust. 

And then it repeated. The same nightmare, the same sinking feeling, and then the screaming. Tikki heard the screaming. That’s what really woke her up, honestly. She had been sleeping in Marinette’s bag, and while she had felt the magical influence through her dreams, she hadn’t paid it any mind. At that moment, she darted out of the bag, shaking her chosen desperately. She saw the blank eyes and the mist, but she could see through it. Tikki wasn’t able to see Chat dying, disintegrating, falling to pieces… 

Adrien had been just as caught up in the nightmare as everyone else, completely immersed in the dream. And then… Chat ran in, and something clicked. He was Chat, and if he was Chat, and Chat was right there, then how was that real? What was wrong? He would’ve fallen back into it when it repeated, however, if Marinette hadn’t screamed, and he knew that scream, that blood curdling, earth-shattering scream. His eyes cleared, and while he could see the mist and what it was showing the class, it was flickering and translucent, and through it, he could see Lila’s akumatized form. Marinette screamed again, and Adrien couldn’t help but through himself into action, jumping up and flinging her rigid form over his shoulder. Lila reacted instantly, grabbing Marinette’s leg as he bounded for the door. Adrien was forced to let her go as Lila tossed handfuls of powder at him. She slammed and locked the door behind him, keeping him out, and, recognizing that he couldn’t get in untransformed, he ran, Plagg floating in his hair. 

“It’s okay, kid. We’ll get her- we’ll get her as soon as you transform, I promise.” Adrien only nodded mutely, running for the roof for a safe transformation place. Marinette’s screams echoed in his ears, and he ran faster.  _ Please hold on, Marinette… _

Once Lila was sure Adrien had run, she lifted Marinette’s tense body up, harshly throwing her over her shoulder before exiting the classroom. She went to the nearest supply closet as Marinette began to shake off the vestiges of the magic dust. 

The first thing Marinette registered as the hallucinations fell away was cold- she was cold everywhere, and not just where whoever was holding her was touching her. The figure- whoever it was, Marinette’s brain wasn’t working at that speed yet- had skin of ice, but her insides felt cold and empty, and she was shaking, but still too immobilized to fight or to move. She was roughly thrown back into the supply closet and found herself looking up into a light-shrouded figure’s face, but she didn’t feel comforted. She huddled in the corner, confidence gone. 

Lila smiled coldly and threw handfuls upon handfuls of dust into the closet. “There, that should hold you for a little while. Hawkmoth requests my presence elsewhere, but the same nightmare should do, I think?” She shut the door, and Marinette’s screams began.

Adrien had made it to the rooftop and quickly made a ladyblog post about the Akuma as he gave Plagg his powered-up cheese. It was the black kind, reminiscent of when it was used in the black plague. Adrien transformed and then darted down into the school, immediately hearing Marinette’s screams and running towards them. 

Marinette was choking, choking on the disintegrated dust of Chat, and she couldn’t save him, she was so close, she could feel him as he fell, and she'd scream and then-

Light flooded the doorway as the horror restarted, and strong hands lifted her as she coughed, carrying her away from the closet. 

Chat ran, vaulting out through the center of the school and away, hoping to escape. As Marinette began to breathe the fresh air, her tears began to flow, and her eyes cleared, changing from a milky, unfocused gray to a sapphire blue. Her fingers curled as they regained mobility, and, once she was able, she wrapped her arms around Chat’s neck, buried her face in his shoulder and cried. He hugged her tighter, a grim set to his face as he took her to the furthest possible safe spot he could think of. He wasn’t ready to let her go just yet, and Marinette wasn’t protesting. Too soon, he landed in a secluded, forgotten area of Paris. He retracted his staff and landed on the ground. Marinette tentatively put her feet on the ground, but she didn’t let Chat go- instead, she pulled away just enough to see his face. She took in the costume changes- the elongated and tufted ears, the shortened tail, and the way his mask came out in a point- but didn’t mention them. She ran her hand down the side of his face, as if checking as if he was really there, and let out a shaky breath. 

“Okay, I’m oka-”

“No, Marinette, you’re not, let me help you-”

Marinette wiped away her tears with a shaking hand and shook her head. “Later, Chat. Go defeat her. I’m-” -Another deep, wavering breath- “I’m okay.” She gave a watery smile, and Chat’s heart shattered, but she was pushing him away, and before he could react she had turned and run, disappearing into the safe place. 

He knew he should follow her, but at that moment he was consumed with a primal desire to hunt and hurt Lila, the girl who had hurt his Princess. He turned and ran, vaulting back towards the school while looking for any telltale signs of the girl in question. 

Marinette watched through a window as she waited for Tikki to catch up, which she did within a few minutes, carrying a black macaroon. 

“Is this the power-up Chat had? What does it do?” Marinette turned towards Tikki, ignoring the elephant in the room.   
“It should give you a mask to block out the dust, so her power won’t affect you. It was created during the Black Plague when the Ladybug and Chat Noir needed to be protected from the sickness.” Marinette nodded mutely before calling for the power-up, and then calling to transform. She glanced down, noting the changes in her own costume. Her mask had developed the same point over her nose, and the spots had turned white. Her pigtails had been elongated into succinct curls, and the air she was breathing felt colder and clearer. A pass of her hand over her face made her realize that there was a thin cover over her mouth, invisible to the eye but clearly designed to block pathogens. She shook off the eerie feeling she got from the whole transformation and took off, sending her yoyo out of the window and letting herself fly. 

They found Lila atop the Eiffel tower, her chosen place for most of her akumatized endeavors. Upon seeing her, Chat pounced, tackling her. Lila wasn’t expecting the offensive, but she took it in stride, throwing her dust in his face. She hadn’t noticed their new forms, apparently, or didn’t care, but was shocked when Chat merely coughed. She rolled out from under him, now on the defensive, and Chat stared at her like a cat stalking his prey. He looked almost feral, and while Ladybug knew that he’d get the job done, this wasn’t how they worked.

Ladybug whipped her yoyo out, catching Chat and swinging away, despite his cries and hisses of distress. She set him down on a nearby rooftop, and, placing both hands on his shoulders, stopped him from going back. 

“Ladybug, what the hell? I had her- she had nothing on us- what were you thinking?” 

“Chat, breathe, please- breathe, okay? Yeah, what she did to m-Marinette sucked, but we’re superheroes, Chat. Justice, not revenge, right? Marinette wouldn’t want revenge, okay? You know that.”

Chat sighed, running a hand through his hair, growling a little. “Fine, LB. I-what’s your plan?”

Ladybug didn’t respond, tossing her yoyo into the air as Chat paced. Her lucky charm fell into her hands, and she glanced at it, before quickly formulating a plan. She relayed it to Chat before they dove into action, quickly detransforming an angry Lila. 

Unfortunately, they were on top of the Eiffel Tower, so they weren’t able to just leave Lila there. She realized this, and dread made its way across her countenance. She had made an enemy out of both superheroes, and while she didn’t know the extent of Chat’s animosity, she really should’ve guessed it by his livid expression. 

Ladybug took over, stepping forwards. “I’ll take you down, Lila. Chat, flank my left, alright? I’m not accompanying her home, but I’ll take her down.” He nodded stiffly, his eyes boring holes into Lila. Ladybug wasted no time in swinging down, and once they had reached the ground, Ladybug dropped her and stepped away, brushing off her whitened costume. Lila huffed and turned away, and the heroes ignored her, fist-bumping and swinging away. Ladybug hastened towards the building complex Chat had left her at, detransforming in barely enough time to meet Chat. She examined her face in a window reflection and realized that her eyes were still red and puffy. She sighed, turning different ways in the window for lighting.

Chat dropped down behind her, and she whipped around, before barreling into his waiting arms. He held her for a few minutes, just letting her breath, before she pulled away.

“Take me to school?”

Chat did a double take. “Woah, Marinette. I was going to take you home. Don’t- don’t you think that’s best? You’ve had a rough day, and-”

Marinette shook her head vehemently. “No, I want- I want to go to school. Please?” 

She was looking up at him with her big blue eyes, pleading with him, and who was he to say no to that? He sighed, relenting.

“Alright, Princess.”

* * *

  
  


Lila did not return to school immediately that day. Instead, she received a call from M. Agreste’s number, asking her to meet with him at Place de Vosges in 15 minutes for an apology, and, well, who was she to reject a formal apology from the Gabriel Agreste?

She arrived, and he was exactly on time, the brakes hissing the way they had every other meeting. 

“Lila. I apologize. I was… a little too brash in cutting you off this morning. You are a useful ally, and I’d appreciate it if I could count on your assistance again. Adrien is, of course, back on the table. Do we have a deal?”

Lila made a few quick calculations in her head. “Yes, M. Agreste. We do.”

* * *

  
  


When Marinette arrived back at school that day, she had a lot of things that she expected, and she planned to ignore all of them. Everything that happened today was a problem for another day, she decided as she walked through the front doors, and she refused to deal with anything on that spectrum. She would solely focus on her studies, and that was that. 

What she wasn’t expecting was to have nothing to ignore. People treated her like they normally did, that is, like she didn’t exist, and everyone, with the exception of Adrien, seemed to have forgotten what transpired that morning. 

Adrien came up to her during lunch, looking troubled and seemingly reading her thoughts. “They’re not talking about it to you because they- they’re worried about upsetting  _ Lila. _ ” He spat out her name as he sat down next to her. Lila had, at that point, arrived at school, and spun some story about Marinette hurting her and how traumatizing the akumatization had been. The class ate it up. Marinette glanced over at Lila, who the class was fawning over, and sighed. 

“Marinette.” Marinette ignored him, pushing the food on her plate around. 

“Come on, Mari. How long are we going to ignore this? I saw them too, you know.” Marinette shook her head, continuing to ignore it.

“Marinette. When were you going to tell me that Lila threatened you?” At that, Marinette looked up. She… wasn’t expecting that. When it came to interrogations, she was expecting ones about Chat, not ones about Lila’s conduct in the first nightmare. 

“Oh. Um. I mean, I thought you knew. Or, I don’t know, it doesn’t phase me much anymore, so I didn’t think I needed to tell you- it’s not that big of a deal, really, she doesn’t get physical often, and-”

“WHAT?! Marinette, this has happened more than once? And she’s- she’s gotten physical? That’s serious, Mari! How-how didn’t I know? When was the first time this happened?”

Marinette looked uncomfortable, but she sighed. She’d already broken her promise to herself, but it was  _ Adrien.  _ She could trust him. “When she became Chameleon. It’s been happening ever since, but it’s not a big deal, okay? Just- just don’t worry about it.” She hugged herself and looked down at her food, ignoring Adrien’s intense green gaze. She mostly past her crush on him, since she had moved on to a more secretive blonde fellow, but she’d be lying if she said the way he looked at her didn’t make her a little tongue-tied. She blamed in on the likeness of his gaze to a certain feline’s, but-well, she didn’t want to confront any of the feelings associated with that just yet, so she wasn’t going to. 

“I can’t just not- Marinette, I-” The bell signaling the end of lunch rang, and she was up like a rocket, not waiting for Adrien to finish speaking. He sighing, cleaning up his tray and following her up to the classroom. He’d talk to her about it later. 

Class began again in the afternoon with Mme. Mendeliev. It was about ten minutes into her science class when Lila walked in late, banging the door open. 

“Lila, you have already disrupted this school day enough with the akuma attack this morning. Please don’t disrupt my class more.” Mme. Mendeliev’s nasally voice reprimanded Lila, and she burst into tears, causing the class to turn on their teacher, revolting at the cruelty she had been shown. No one, except Adrien, noticed that Marinette had dropped her stylus at the loud bang with the door, and her hands were shaking so badly now that she was hugging herself to keep herself together. He jumped up, helping her put her stuff away and escorting her out of the room. 

“Adrien, I- I can’t-” Adrien gave her a tight hug, shushing her. 

“I know, Mari. It’s okay. Go home for today, alright? They don’t deserve you, and- just go home and rest. You deserve it.” Her face was buried in his chest, and she nodded. He let her go. 

“Can you make it home? Should I take you? What can I do-”

“No, Adrien, I’m alright. I think… I think I need some alone time. Thank you though. I’ll text you when I get home.” He nodded and hugged her again before she left. 

When he reentered the classroom, he saw that the students had stopped their assault on Mme. Mendeliev, but that all the seats had been reordered. 

“Oh, Adrien! You’re back. You’re sitting next to me- the attack injured my wrist again when Marinette was fighting back against me. The class was kind enough to reorder all the seating so it could work out!” Lila smiled sweetly, and Adrien blanched. No one in the class had even noticed Marinette’s absence, and he was livid.

“What the hell, guys?” The class seemed taken aback at his outburst. “What the hell are you doing, standing up for Lila? You saw what Marinette saw, and now- now you’re not even acknowledging her! Have any of you even spoken to her since the attack to make sure she’s okay? You didn’t even notice when she left! And you choose this girl, this brat  _ Lila,-” _

“Hey!”

“- that you’ve spent, what, a few months with in person, over a girl who you’ve relied on and trust for years and years? I’m disgusted with all of you! Ivan- did you really think Marinette would ever say something mean about Mylène, especially to Lila, her sworn enemy? Why would Lila have that information? Max- Why would she rebuild the robot that she broke if she really broke it? Why would she put it in a secure locker where only she could access it if she wanted to break it? Marc- why would Marinette create an account to troll you? Did you even give her a chance to defend herself? Rose, all Marinette tries to do is bring the class together, and Alya! Even if she were dating a superhero, which, if she says she isn’t, you should believe her, it’s none of your business, particularly with the way you’ve been treating her. By accusing her of it you put her in more danger than she was already in and your journalistic integrity is down the drain! I’m so sick of everyone in this class using Marinette as a scapegoat just because she’ll forgive you for it!”

“Wha- she’s the one in the wrong here, Adrien! Haven’t you seen what she’s been doing?”

“What she’s been doing? Yeah, I have. I’ve seen her make macaroons for the entire class, I’ve seen her make banners for races and babysit siblings for no charge, I’ve seen her give up her spot in competitions just because she wants to make others happy, I’ve seen her pull an all-nighter to rebuild someone else’s robot, and, most importantly, I’ve seen her hold her head high through every single abuse you’ve thrown at her, but she’s hurting and  _ you don’t care.”  _ Adrien paused, catching his breath and gazing at the appalled class. “What kind of friends are you?”

He turned to Lila. “Listen, Lila. You’ve hurt Marinette, and I have a feeling you’ve had your hand in more than this than I know, so…” he took a deep breath- he couldn’t say everything he wanted to in front of the teacher. “Stay away from her. No more threats in the bathroom, no more hurting her, or I will hear of it. I won’t be sitting with you- someone else can take your notes.” With that, Adrien stalked to the back of the classroom and sat down in the empty row. Lila sputtered, but Mme. Mendeliev began her lesson immediately, not allowing any more interruptions. Adrien sighed, not paying attention any longer. 

As soon as school let out, Adrien was out the door, but he was being tailed by a persistent Nino. 

“Yo, dude, what was that?” 

Adrien took a deep breath, trying not to explode. He turned slowly. “What do you mean, Nino?” 

“...In class, bro. Is everything alright at home? Are...What’s up?”

“Nino, I was defending Marinette from the rest of the class. Now, if you’ll excuse me-”

“Woah, bro, you can’t deny that she’s gotten kinda… mean, though, can you? Like, she stopped bringing us macaroons a while ago, and she’s been bullying Lila pretty heavily-”

“No, she hasn’t been! First, when was she required to bring food for your friendship? That’s… I-no. And Marinette? Bullying Lila? No way. Marinette doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, Nino.”

He looked uncomfortable, but Nino kept going. “Yeah, but, she can be a little… different, when it comes to you… you know, with her…”

“Bullshit, Nino, and you know it. This is the Marinette who has never let anyone but herself be bullied by Chloé for years, the Marinette that stood up for Markov, for gods sake. Don’t try to tell me she’s a bully because you know it’s not true- you saw what she saw today. Those were  _ memories, or versions _ of them, at least , Nino. If you’ll excuse me.”

Adrien pushed away from his former best friend, making his way down the stairs to his waiting limo. He got in without looking back, leaving a stunned Nino on the stairs. 

“Woah, Nino, you alright? You look like you just saw a ghost or something. Let’s head back to my place- the twins are out today so we shouldn’t have to deal with them, okay?” Alya had grabbed Nino’s hand and started walking down the stairs. 

“Uh, actually, Al… I’ve got to make a stop on the way home. Maybe some other time, alright?” Nino left Alya at the top of the stairs, almost trance-like. Alya furrowed her brows, watching after her boyfriend but deciding to leave it. He could handle himself, after all. 

* * *

Marinette was furiously sketching in her notebook- anything to distract herself- when she received a knock on her trapdoor. 

“Marinette, sweetheart, someone is here to see you.” Her mama’s voice called up through the small crack, and Marinette smiled gently. 

“It’s alright, Mama. You can send him up.” Marinette set her sketchbook down, leaning back in her chair as she waited for Adrien to come up. He was the only one who visited her anymore- or, well, the only one who used the front door. 

Adrien did not, in fact, come up. When her trapdoor opened, Nino stepped in, looking sheepish and embarrassed. 

“Hey, ‘Nette.” 

Marinette gawked for a few seconds before formulating words. “Nino? What are you doing here?”

He shifted his weight, looking anywhere but at her. “‘Nette, I think I owe you an apology. I know… The class hasn’t been very kind to you lately, and I don’t think… Well, now that I’ve thought about it, I don’t think you’d do any of the things they said you have. Lila’s been saying you’ve been bullying her, but that doesn’t- that doesn’t make much sense, Adrien was right, even if you were jealous, you don’t resort to bullying, and I should’ve known that, and-”

“Lila’s been saying I’ve been bullying her?” 

Nino nodded, looking uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, Marinette. I should’ve known it wasn’t like you, but- Adrien- and she always was so nice to me, she’s setting me up with a record deal, you know? And-”

“Nino, let me stop you there, okay? You guys… you were mad at me for accusing her for lying, but I’m not wrong about that. Most of what she says can be disproved by a simple Google search, and I didn’t want you guys getting your hopes up about things she promises that she can’t deliver. Whoever she says she’s introducing you to, I can promise you she isn’t. She doesn’t know who she says she knows, and all that charity work… I don’t know where she’s been, but certainly not in Achu. I’m sorry, Nino. But you don’t need her to set you up with a producer- you’re talented enough on your own. Look for some competitions, alright?”

Nino was staring at the floor. “Are you sure that-”

“I’m sure. How long has she been promising this, Nino? She should’ve followed through by now, and with all of her other inconsistencies… there’s no chance.”

Silence reigned over the room as Marinette turned back to her sketchbook, making a few adjustments. “You guys… you reduced me to a jealous teenage girl. You invalidated everything I said because I had a crush on a guy, as if that’s all I was, and you- you tossed aside years of friendship and trust for a girl you had just met. I can’t say the exact same for Alya, though I have plenty of other bones to pick with her, but Nino… I expected more from my friends.”

“You deserved more.”

“If it helps, I don’t have a crush on Adrien anymore. Can’t be jealous now, can I?” Marinette paused, then let out a breath. “Sorry, that was uncalled for.”

Nino laughed a little bit. “Nah, I deserved that.”

They were quiet again, and Marinette’s pencil scratching against the paper was the only sound in the room. “I… I don’t know if I can forgive you yet, Nino. It hurt a lot, in more ways than one, and Lila… Well, she’s done more damage than you know. But it means a lot that you came and apologized today, it really does. It’s good to know I have two allies in the school. Thank you for coming to me, anyways. I really do appreciate it.”

Nino took that as an invitation to sit down on her chaise. “‘Nette, I want to know the whole story. Tell me what’s been going on, okay?”

And Marinette did. She told him about Adrien’s book, the threats, her hand in the akuma attacks, and just everything. Nino listened intently and was properly horrified, at Lila and at himself for not noticing what was going on. 

“Anyways, you should get going. Thanks for coming by. I’m alright, more so that you’ve come to your senses, and… I have a few other friends who believe me, so… yeah. Thanks again.” Marinette smiled softly, but Nino knew that her capacity for him was exhausted, so he showed himself out, walking the long-distance home to contemplate on everything he had missed. He certainly had a lot to make up for. 

* * *

Marinette was waiting on her balcony. It was late, and it was cold, but she was scanning the horizon, looking for any sign of her kitty. She was fine,  _ she was fine _ , but he was late, and she couldn’t help the doubts that were creeping in. She wrung her hands a bit, staring off again. Where could he be?

“Marinette, what- It’s cold! Why are you out here?” Chat had landed behind her silently and she whirled around, breathing out a sigh of relief when she saw him, leaning casually against his staff. 

“H-hey, Chat.” Marinette’s voice shook a bit, a little with cold and a little with relief. 

Chat’s frown deepened. “C’mere, Mari. Let’s get you warm and inside.” He opened his arms to her, and she practically fell into them, hugging him tightly. He let her stay there since it seemed like he was the only thing anchoring her, and he hugged her back. 

After a few minutes, he lifted her up, taking her inside her room. “Let’s get you inside, Mari.” She only nodded against his chest, and he sat down on her chaise, propping her up to a sitting position.

“Mari. It’s okay not to be okay, you know.”

She stayed silent, not looking at him. After a few minutes, she spoke up. “I- you were- I didn’t know where you were tonight.”

Chat winced. “I’m sorry, Marinette. I tried to get away earlier, I did, but… Well, I’ve told you about my father.” She nodded, mute, and leaned her head against his chest. 

“I’m glad you’re here now.”

“Me too, Mari.” He paused, looking down at her. There was only a desk lamp on in her room, meaning the dim, warm light reflected nicely off her shoulders. Her hair was still in her signature pigtails, but her eyelids were droopy, like she was exhausted. He sighed, knowing she wasn’t ready to admit that she wasn’t okay yet. 

“What can I do to help?” She looked up at him, and, as he was every time he looked at her eyes, he was momentarily speechless, his breath stolen and mind completely blank. 

“Can you… Stay with me tonight? Not for the whole night,” she amended hastily, “but until- until I fall asleep? The nightmares- Chat, I…”

Chat nodded immediately. He wasn’t going to refuse when she was asking for something like that, of course he wasn’t. How could she think he would…? 

She slid off his lap, quickly disappearing into the bathroom to change into her pajamas, and then emerged, hair down. She looked beautiful. 

“Chat, um… I know this is a weird thing to ask, but, um… could we cuddle until I fall asleep? I don’t want-” 

Chat was up in an instant, nodding frantically, and Marinette smiled shyly. It was awkward at first, but soon they laid down on Marinette’s bed, Chat’s arms encircling her small frame and holding her tightly. Marinette’s steady breathing was the only sound in the room. Chat had meant to only lie there with her until he was sure she was fast asleep and safe from any nightmares, but the gentle rhythm of her breath and her warmth lulled him to sleep, too. 

That night, he slept better than he ever had in his big, empty room.

When Adrien woke up, Marinette was still fast asleep in his arms, and it was still dark out. He tried to flick away the gently prodding in his lower back and go back to sleep, but was met with an indignant hiss from Plagg. 

The angry god flew in front of his face, which had previously been nuzzled in Marinette’s shoulder. “Adrien, come on- we have to go! Do you want your princess to wake up and see that her Kitty Charming has turned into-” Adrien gasped, suddenly realizing that he was not transformed. 

“Shit, okay. Plagg, do you have the energy to transform?” Adrien was gently lifting Marinette up, removing his arm from beneath her and shimmying away. 

“Nope! But if you go up on her balcony, I mightttt be able to get some. Can you go any faster?” Adrien really was lucky that Marinette was a deep sleeper. They had been tangled up, he guessed, and untangling their legs was not a minor feat. 

“There! Alright, now- oh…” Adrien had been using one arm the entire time for this, he realized, because his second hand was laced with hers, and he stared at it for a second. He didn’t want to let go. He glanced out the window, and, sighing, gently released her hand before leaning over and placing a kiss to it. He climbed out her trapdoor, glancing at Plagg, who waved at him from below and gestured at him to shut the trapdoor. Adrien sighed, obeying. Hopefully, he wouldn’t cause too much trouble. 

“Sugarcube, he’s gone! You can come out now!” A ball of pink whizzed from behind the desk, barreling into him and giving him a hug. 

“Plagg! I’ve missed you!” Tikki smiled brightly, and Plagg felt himself smile back.

“Me… Me too, Tik.” The two Kwami’s hadn’t been able to meet up the night before, since by the time Adrien’s transformation had worn off, Tikki was fast asleep, and besides, Plagg was exhausted anyways. 

“Where… Where’s Adrien?” Tikki frowned, glancing at the bed.

“Oh, he’s on the balcony, waiting for me to recharge. It’s okay, it can wait a few minutes, I’m not that hungry…” His stomach chose that inopportune moment to grumble, and Plagg cursed it, frowning. 

“Plagg, no! Your kid must be so cold, here. Let me grab you something to eat-can you open this trapdoor for me? Thanks- I’ll be right back-” Tikki whizzed downstairs and emerged, carrying a cheesy croissant for Plagg. His mouth watered, but he felt their time coming to a close, and he hesitantly took it from her. 

“Now, eat up! You’ve got to get going!” Tikki’s cheery voice compelled Plagg to obey.

Once he had finished, Tikki looked at him expectantly. “Go, Plagg! Adrien must be so cold!” She ushered him towards the balcony, despite his resistance and uttered objections. 

“Wait- Tik- no, I-” He looked back at her, and she seemed sad too, but she waved him on. 

“Go, Plagg. We’ll see each other again soon.” She turned away, and Plagg sighed, phasing through the ceiling. 

“There you are! Ready to go?” Adrien stood as Plagg appeared, and Plagg only nodded. Adrien called his transformation, leaving Marinette and Tikki behind. 

* * *

When Marinette awoke, Chat was gone. She missed him instantly and groaned as she rolled over. 

Tikki flew up to her face. “Cheer up, Marinette! You’ll see him again soon, I’m sure. And I took the liberty of taking a few photos for you, so you could remember it, hmm?” 

Marinette cried in indignation immediately, but it got her out of bed and to her phone, where she immediately opened the photos. Tikki had turned on the lamp to take these, it seemed. She couldn’t help but be entranced by the photos. She was tangled up with Chat, and he was holding her tightly with one arm while holding her hand with the other. His face was buried into her neck, and they both seemed so peaceful, so happy. Tikki giggled at the awestruck expression on her chosen’s face, and shook her head as she moved each of the photos to a separate, secret album in her phone. 

Marinette glanced at her conniving kwami, shaking her head. “Let’s go to school.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've posted! School likes to ramp up right before Thanksgiving break, but as soon as I'm off I'll be able to post more. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter!  
Also, for Chat's new transformation, it was inspired by the Caracal cat. Just figured you guys should know :).


	11. 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An apology and some selfies :)

Alya didn’t like being alone. In fact, she abhorred it- having grown up in a large family in a small apartment, it was foreign to her. She was naturally outgoing, and she just didn’t see a reason to spend her time alone, especially when she could be with friends. When she transferred to Collège Françoise Dupont, her greatest fear was that she wasn’t going to find many friends, and she didn’t think she’d be able to survive school lunch alone with her thoughts- the very idea of it had made her shake. She was saved, however, by a pigtailed Marinette who didn’t know just how much Alya had needed her. Since then, Alya had never had to spend lunch alone.

When Nino had turned down her offer to hang out after school that day, she had been a little disquieted, not only because she had been excited for it, but because it meant she’d have to spend some time alone with herself. On the walk home, she whipped her phone out and got as far as opening Marinette’s contact before remembering.  _ Right. We’re not friends anymore _ . She had sighed, quickening her pace. It was arguably the worst during walks because there was nothing that she could do to distract herself, not if she wanted to not crash into a pole or allow herself to be abducted or anything.

Her mind went back to Marinette, unbidden. Alya was wearing her designs- a good percentage of her closet was hand-sewn by Marinette, and even while they were fighting like they were, she wouldn’t not wear her stuff. In fact, in the mornings, Alya had unconsciously chosen only the clothing Marinette had a hand in, as if wearing it would bring Marinette closer to her. As if it could mend their friendship. 

Alya huffed and looked left, as if she could will the thoughts away. She pulled her phone out, but her eye caught on the ladybug charm hanging from the aux port. Marinette had gotten that for her-  _ no.  _ She turned it on, only to pause, staring at her lock screen photo. It was her and Marinette, and, jesus, had she not changed that? They looked so happy, and Alya… Alya hadn’t felt like that in a little while. 

No, what was she saying? She shook her head. She liked the rest of the class, and Lila was sweet and fun and interesting, and, most importantly, she wasn’t alone. The nagging voice in her mind spoke up, however, and she winced at how similar it sonded to Trixx.  _ But she’s not Marinette, is she? _

“I don’t want Marinette. I don’t want to be friends with- with-” Alya sighed, hugging herself and picking up her pace again.  _ You miss her. _ Alya shook her head again, as if that would stop her thoughts from intruding. She opened her phone, swiping out of Marinette’s contact and swiping aimlessly through it, somewhat successfully distracting herself until she got to her front doorstep, where she quickly entered and shut the door behind her. The silence of the apartment was stifling, and Alya almost wished she was back in the bustle of the city again, where at least there was noise, something proving she wasn’t entirely alone. She sighed, locking the door behind her. She was in for a long night. 

Alya was ready to do anything to distract herself when Nino showed up, unannounced, so she welcomed him in without asking for any explanation. When he had brought up Marinette, she collapsed on her bed, fingering Marinette’s singature on her shirt. Any other day, she would’ve resisted any attempt to talk about her ex best friend, but her desperation for company and Nino’s calming nature somehow made it possible. 

It wasn’t easy, of course. Alya was defensive and angry, and Nino, though he had a simple goal, was struggling to even see that through. His girlfriend was stubborn and he knew it would be difficult for her to admit that she was wrong, but she wasn’t even admitting to Nino that she missed the bluenette. 

Sighing, Nino Changed tactics. “Al, you know how dangerous it is to be a superhero. Don’t you think… well, if Marinette has a secret, shouldn’t we have let her keep it? When you were fighting yesterday, I mean. If she’s dating Chat Noir, which I’m not saying she is… Wouldn’t it be dangerous for people to know?”

Alya stayed silent, but she rubbed Marinette’s embroidered signature more furiously as a frown crossed her face. “And… She’s always let us keep our secrets, and you confronted her in front of the entire class. If she were to say yes, she would have to reveal a secret to the entire class, and you saw what happened when she said no…”

“But then…” Alya’s voice came out a whisper, “Why didn’t she just tell me? Separately? Why… Nino, you heard what she said to me... I-”

Nino shook his head. “Because it may not even be true, and if it is, it’s her secret. Plus… You haven’t been very nice to her either, and you said some mean things as well.” 

Alya huffed but stayed silent. “Alya… I know you like Lila, but… she’s not Marinette.” 

It was true, of course- Lila wasn’t Marinette, not at all. “Nino, do you think- if I apologize- do you think we’ll be friends again?” Alya tilted her head, making eye contact with Nino for the first time in this entire conversation. 

He sighed. “You’ll be getting there.” With that, he gave her a kiss and left, leaving her to her thoughts again. 

So that’s why Alya was waiting at the front steps for Marinette, hands in her front pockets. She was wearing all Marinette originals again- a ladybug inspired outfit Marinette had given her when her blog was applauded by top journalists- and she bounced on her toes, staring off at where she knew Marinette would come from. When Nino came, he smiled sympathetically at her, patting her shoulder and moving into the school’s courtyard. The message was clear. She had to do this on her own. 

That didn’t make it any better, however. When Marinette finally jogged up the stairs that morning, Alya felt that same nauseous sensation that she had felt on her first day at Collège Françoise Dupont, but she mustered up her courage and called out to Marinette. 

The girl whipped around, and the vestiges of a smile were melting off her face as she started looking defensive. Alya backtracked. “No, Marinette, no, I wanted to- I wanted to apologize.”

Marinette gaped. “What?” She glanced over Alya’s shoulder and saw Nino looking at her. He gave her a nod, saying  _ “She’s for real.” _

Marinette looked back at her former friend, who was not looking directly at her. “I, um. Wanted to apologize for calling you out about… you and Chat. If… if that’s a thing, then- then you have a right to keep it a secret, and I- I shouldn’t have confronted you about it, especially not in front of the whole class. So… I’m sorry. ” Alya made eye contact with her then, and Marinette could see that she was sorry, but Marinette knew suddenly that it wasn’t  _ enough _ . Alya… Alya was supposed to be her best friend- she was supposed to have her back against anyone, supposed to listen to her, and she’d fallen so far from the mark that Marinette didn’t know exactly what would redeem her. And Alya had only apologized for one thing, not the weeks and weeks of abuse she’d been suffering. 

She realized suddenly that Alya was looking at her expectantly as if she had just said something else. “...Marinette? I said, friends? Are we friends now?” Alya’s eyes were so hopeful it physically hurt Marinette to shake her head, but she did.

“No. Getting there, though.” Marinette gave Alya a soft smile and walked past her, leaving Alya on the steps. She did appreciate her apology, and she knew how hard it was for Alya, but Marinette wasn’t stupid- she knew that Alya had no clue that there was more to apologize for. She wasn’t re-entering a friendship like that. 

Sighing, she side-stepped Alya and walked past her, regathering her strength for the day. She nodded to Nino as he went to Alya, who was still frozen on the stairs, but continued to Adrien, who was waiting for her with a concerned look on his face. 

“What was that all about?” Adrien fell into step with her, glancing at her through his peripheral vision. It was difficult to look at her just _ hours _ after cuddling with her, but he forced himself not to grab her hand, not to imagine her warm body pressed against his…

_ Nope.  _ Not imagining that  _ at all. _

Marinette huffed. “Alya was apologizing. And…”

She trailed off. “Did you… did you accept it?” He hoped to god that she didn’t. 

She shook her head. “No. Should I have? I… She apologized for fighting with me about Chat, and… she wanted to be friends again, and I said… I said no, was- was I wrong?” Marinette’s big blue eyes peered up at Adrien, and he shook his head. 

“No, Marinette- I’m so glad that you rejected her apology. She’s been bullying you for weeks. She doesn’t get a free pass, and you don’t have to forgive anyone you don’t want to forgive, so-” They had reached the classroom door, and Adrien paused awkwardly. Marinette did too, but only to throw her arms around him in a warm hug. He paused, before slowly letting his arms wrap around her as well. His heart pounded, and every nerve in his body screamed at him to bury his face in her hair, but no, he wasn’t Chat right now. 

Marinette pulled away, a soft smile on her lips. “Thanks, Adrien. I needed that.” And then she went into class, leaving him standing in the hallway, like an idiot, trying to hold on to her scent for a second longer. 

* * *

The day dragged on, but both of them were in a daze. Adrien was lost in thoughts of the girl behind him, and Marinette was caught in a limbo of thinking of her Chat and Alya. The evening could not come sooner for either of them. 

When Chat dropped down through Marinette’s open trapdoor, he landed remarkably softly on the bed. Marinette was staring at her bulletin board and didn’t acknowledge his presence. She seemed to be deep in thought, so he slid down the ladder and approached her from behind, making enough noise so as not to scare her. She was holding the edge of a photo tacked on to the board- one taken a while ago, by the look of it. It was with Marinette and Alya, and they were both mid-laugh when the flash had gone off. It was a sweet photo, really, and Chat could see why she would be hesitant about getting rid of it. He gently put his hands on her shoulders, and she relaxed against his chest, sighing. 

“Want to talk about it, purrincess?” He spoke directly into her ear, and she nodded, leaning forward to unpin the photo from the corkboard. Once she had finished, he scooped her up and carried her to her chaise, sitting down and resting her on his lap. She snuggled against his chest, and he sighed contentedly. He wrapped his arms around her, waiting for her to start to speak. It took a few minutes. 

“Alya… She was my best friend. We don’t really… Well, we’re not friends anymore. I’ve told you a bit about Lila, of course, and she, like most of the rest of the class,” Marinette sighed fingering the sharp corner of the photo, “believed Lila over me. And, y’know, it was fine for a little while, I guess- it’s just-” She sighed heavily again, and Chat saw tears form in her eyes before she blinked them back. “Lila’s lies… they weren’t meant to help me keep my friendships.”

Marinette brushed her finger over Alya’s smiling face, and then over her own, feeling the familiar feelings of longing overtaking her. “She… Al was my first real friend, you know? Like, everyone in my classes liked me well enough, excluding Chloe, of course, but-” Marinette sniffed, squeezing her eyes shut, “But before Alya transferred, it had been years since I’d- years since I’d had a real friend like that, I guess, and- and I hadn’t been that  _ happy _ in so long either, and now-” Marinette stopped, wiping tears hurredly from here eyes. Chat grabbed her hand. 

“Marinette.” She looked up at him, eyes shining, and seemed to understand what he meant, burying her face in his shoulder instead. Gentle sobs wracked her body as Chat stroked her back. It was true, he realized- while he had never considered it before, and Nino had always acted as if he and Marinette had been good friends forever, Nino and the rest of the class were all guilty of abandoning her to Chloe. 

Chat felt his throat tightening as he realized that Marinette wasn’t happy anymore either. It was easy for him to ignore when he only really saw her as Chat, but looking at that photo… When was the last time he saw her laugh like that at school?

Marinette pulled away, a rueful smile on her lips. Her crying had stopped, though her breath still hitched occasionally as she tried to begin speaking again. Chat waited patiently, rubbing her back in calming circles. “When she transferred, I had kinda… stopped fighting Chloe. I used to fight her, all the time, but… After years of it, with little to no support from classmates and teachers, it gets old, and all I was ever told to do was set the example for her with positive behavior. But then- then Alya came, and she was all fire and fury and righteousness, and suddenly I had an ally and a friend, and Chat- I’m not- I’m not Marinette without Alya- I can’t-” She dissolved into tears again. Marinette didn’t know how to explain what she was saying, but she meant every word of it- Alya had inspired her to become Ladybug, to stand up to people like Chloe and Lila, though Lila ended up tearing them apart. Marinette wasn’t sure she’d be a fraction of who she was if it weren’t for Alya, and that was terrifying. 

Chat looked at her sternly. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You are the bravest, strongest, kindest person I know, and you don’t owe that to anyone, alright? Alya was brave on the day she transferred, but who’s been brave every day since? Alya- she’s great on some days, I’m sure, but she’s not you, Marinette, and she’s not the reason you are you.”

Marinette stayed quiet, but the way she sighed and leaned against him, rubbing hte photo with a much less anxious air, told him that she had listened to what he said. He stayed quiet, fingering the edges of her pigtails as she contemplated whatever she was contemplating.

“Chat… She- She apologized to me today. Not- not for everything. Just for the fight we had before she turned into an akuma- did I tell you about this? I did, I think, you probably don’t remember, anyways- she accused me of lying, I think she had heard some stuff from Lila, and maybe she’d seen our dynamic during akuma battles where I’d been captured? I don’t know, but something gave her the impression that we were- that you and I-” She blushed suddenly, and Chat glanced down at her. She looked quite cute when she blushed. “Well, it’s not important anyways. Point is, she apologized for that, and… she asked to be friends again.” A pause. “I said no. And… I don’t think I was wrong, I guess, but I miss her, Chat. I don’t know.” She sighed again, and the sound broke Chat’s heart. 

“Marinette, I’m sorry. You deserve better. Alya doesn’t know what she’s missing.” Marinette looked up at him, a soft smile on her lips, before snuggling into his chest a little bit. Chat’s gaze shifted over to the corkboard, frowning when he realized how bare it had become. 

“C’mere, Mari.” He lifted her up, hoisting her over his shoulder to avoid her foiling his diabolical plan, and then stood, walking over to her desk. “Now, where is your phone…”

“Wha- Chat- put me down!” She was giggling, and Chat smiled at the sound. He spotted her phone under fabric and pulled it out, swiping to the camera. 

“As you wish!” He flipped her back to standing, and, orienting the camera to selfie mode, took a quick one of the disoriented look on her face and her messy hair. “Okay, next one!” 

Marinette laughed as they began a long line of silly selfie poses. Marinette threw up peace signs and stuck out her tongue, and then jumped on Chat’s back and played with his cat ears. Chat flipped her off his back, and, in a sudden move of bravery, kissed her cheek, snapping the selfie as the blush bloomed across Marinette’s cheeks. 

Marinette quickly dissolved into a stuttering mess, grabbing the phone from Chat and staring at the photo. In it, her eyes were closed and she was smiling a dopey smile. 

“Marinette- I’m sorry- I shouldn’t’ve- I’ll delete it-”

“Don’t you dare! I mean, um. If you want to, you can, but I like it, and…”

“You do?” Now Chat was wearing the dopey grin, and he crawled around behind where she was sitting, pulling her into his lap. She nodded, and he watched as she selected all the photos and moved them to a private folder titled “Chaton”. He blushed slightly, but slid the phone from her hands to scroll through the photos in that folder. When he got to the top of all the selfies they had taken, he found a photo he wasn’t aware existed. It was of the two of them cuddled on the bed, fast asleep. 

“Marinette? What’s this?” Marinette squeaked, trying to pull her phone away, but Chat was faster, completely entranced by the photo.

“I, um- when I woke up that day! It was just there, and I don’t know where it came from, but it’s there, and, I liked it…” Marinette was blushing profusely, and Chat reached out to brush her cheek absentmindedly, before pulling her closer to him. 

“Plagg must’ve taken it, I guess…” He was already planning on compensating the Kwami with blocks and blocks of cheese before Marinette rested her chin on his shoulder and he remembered that Plagg is what made this all possible in the first place. Yeah, Plagg was getting more Camembert than he’d know what to do with. 

Chat grinned, swiping back to camera before twisting next to Marinette, pulling her on top of him and tickling her. 

“Stop… Chat- No, I’m not…” She gasped through giggles. Chat never planned on stopping. 

* * *

Once Chat had left, Marinette spent her night methodically printing out every single photo and placing them on her corkboard. Tikki had half a mind to stop her, but she knew that her holder needed some happiness in her life, and Tikki didn’t want to steal that from her. 

Meanwhile, atop the Eiffel tower, Chat was staring at the photos he had sent himself. Yeah, Plagg was getting extra cheese. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, while thanksgiving break's been great, it's been very scheduled, so I haven't had a lot of time to write. Hopefully I can have another short chapter out soon, but no promises. Happy thanksgiving to anyone who celebrates it and love you all!


	12. 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets some support from the parents of the students and more Marichat occurs :)

**Bonus scene, because I, the author, messed up:**

Adrien lay in his bed, scrolling through the photos that he’d forwarded from his staff to his phone. 

“Thanks again, Plagg. I owe you one. Your cheese is on the way.” 

“What are you talkin- I mean, it better be. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into some gooey camembert…” Plagg babbled as he floated over to see what Adrien was looking at. Did he really think he took those photos? Plagg groaned slightly. The boy was dumb as rocks sometimes. 

“Hey, wait- I’m still transformed. Plagg, how’d you do that?” Plagg winced slightly. 

“Oh, uh, special Kwami magic! I don’t use it often, but, uh, really wanted to get those photos, they were just so cute…” Plagg wanted to barf, but Adrien scratched his head, smiling. 

“Thanks, Plagg. I appreciate it.” 

Spots was going to  _ pay _ for this, that’s for sure.

* * *

Marinette walked to school the next day blissfully unaware of the hellish hour she was about to experience. She was still on cloud 9 from the night before, and while she was theoretically aware of the fact that she was scheduled for a meeting with the principal, it had… Slipped her mind. 

She was reviewing the photos in her private folder with a soft blush on her face when Adrien decided to approach her. 

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” Marinette jumped, sending her phone flying, and Adrien caught it, but he handed it back, not about to look through her personal stuff. 

“Oh, um. Nothing, just, uh. Texting my mom, and, um!” Marinette was flustered, but not because she was talking to Adrien.

“Really? Texting your mom has got you blushing that much?” Adrien teased, grinning down at her. Marinette’s cheeks became a fiery red before she sighed in defeat. “I’m just kid-”

“I think I’m in love!” Marinette blurted it out before she could stop herself and slapped her hand over her mouth, embarrassed. “I mean. Not in love. I have a crush, I think. Not in love, that would be crazy, right? Yeah, I mean, love, crazy in love no! I mean-” 

Adrien cut her off by placing a hand on her shoulder, endeared by her babbling. “Marinette, whoever he is, they’re lucky to have you.” 

Marinette smiled at him bashfully. They began their walk to the classroom as Marinette stowed her phone. “I… I’m sorry, usually I’d tell this to Alya, but…” She shrugged as they entered the classroom, and he gave her a half-hug. 

“Well, I’m always here. I hope it works out.” And he did- if Marinette was talking about him as Chat-  _ well.  _ He shouldn’t be thinking about that. 

His musings were interrupted when Marinette and Max were both called down to M. Damocles’ office. Marinette looked surprised at first, and then horrified when she realized what she had forgotten. 

_ Of course.  _ She had forgotten about the meeting with the principal and the parents that was taking place today. She gathered up her stuff quietly and walked out the door. Max followed. The walk to the office was silent, and it unsettled Marinette. She opened her mouth to speak a few times before remembering that it wasn’t her job to apologize to them. She took a deep breath before entering the office, preparing for the worst.

“Marinette. Max. Please sit down.” Max’s mom and Marinette’s parents were already there, sitting around M. Damocles’ desk. “First of all, I apologize that this meeting has been so delayed. This is the first time since the incident that all of you could come in and that Marinette wasn’t being attacked by an akuma.” The latter was said with a pointed glare at Marinette, which she ignored. 

“I’m sorry, M. Damocles, but could you explain why we’re here and make this quick? Astronaut training doesn’t allow for a lot of free time…” Mme. Kanté looked a little worried at the time, and Marinette gasped, realizing she’d never congratulated her. 

“Mme. Kanté, congratulations! I’m so sorry I haven’t had the chance to say so yet!” Max’s mom smiled warmly at her before turning back to M. Damocles. 

“Er… Right. Marinette destroyed a robot that Max built for the tournament last Friday when it was put in her possession for safekeeping, causing Max’s akumatization the Tuesday before the tournament. We’re here to discuss proper punishment for-”

“Wait, Max. I thought you said you won that tournament?” His mother was now looking at him with confusion. 

“I did, but-”

“How could you have done that if Marinette broke the robot?”

Marinette chose this moment to speak up. “Um, Mme. Kanté-”

“Call me Claudie, dear-”

“Max gave me the robot on Monday night, and I put in a secure locker early Tuesday morning. I don’t know how it got destroyed, but when M. Damocles called us down, he said there had been an anonymous tip and that it was broken- that was the first I had seen it. Since it had technically been my fault that it was broken, even if I didn’t break it, I spent the next night rebuilding it. I don’t think it was as good, but-”

“Max, you never told me Marinette rebuilt the robot! Well then, if she rebuilt it I don’t see a need to punish her further, especially since she did it of her own free will. I must get going now. Have a good rest of your day, dears!”

She left the office then, leaving M. Damocles scrambling a little bit. “Well, I guess if she doesn’t request further punishment… you’re off the hook for this one, Marinette. Don’t- don’t expect it to happen again!” 

Marinette and her family left the office in a hurry. “Marinette, I’m sorry! I wanted to say more, but I couldn’t get a word in edgewise!” Sabine looked a little dejected, but Marinette laughed. 

“No, it’s alright, Mama. Mme. Kanté agreeing with us was probably more helpful anyways. Now go! The bakery needs you!” She gave each of her parents a hug before they descended the stairs and she was sent back to class, feeling infinitely thankful for Mme. Kanté.

When Marinette arrived home, she baked a batch of galaxy-themed macarons that she delivered fresh to Max’s doorstep. 

* * *

Now that he’d had a few, it wasn’t hard for Adrien to tell when he’d be having a weigh-in. Nathalie started looking at him like she was weighing him with her eyes, and sometimes the portions from the kitchen would be smaller. When Adrien saw the telltale signs of it this week, he was ready- he had stopped eating as much of Marinette’s food and started working out a little bit more, hoping to get an early jump on his weight. He had a feeling about this one, so he was taking it seriously- his father was getting angry, and he had no doubt that he was going to be pulled out of school or locked in his room next time he failed. 

However, he hadn’t counted on Marinette noticing. When he arrived at her balcony Friday night, she had laid out trays and trays of food, and Chat’s mouth was watering. 

“Chat! Hi! Come on in, let’s eat!” Chat nodded numbly, noticing the croissants, the macarons, the loaves of bread… Chat blinked, and suddenly realized that there wasn’t even that much food out, that he had been dreaming up plates and plates of delicious treats due to hunger. He sat down, stomach grumbling. 

Marinette giggled and handed him a croissant, something he hadn’t made up. “Here!” she said, grinning. “Freshly baked.” He stared at the croissant and shook his head. “What? Chat, come on. You’re hungry. Eat.” She pushed the hand with the croissant towards him, concern heavy in her eyes. 

“I- I can’t, Marinette. My father… I have a weigh-in tomorrow, so I have to lose weight, and…” he shrugged, but Marinette looked horrified. 

“Your father weighs you? Chat- what- that’s not-”

“No, Marinette, it’s- it’s okay! He’s just- I have an image to uphold, and if I mess it up…” 

Marinette looked horrified. “Chat. You are clearly a very healthy weight, and even if you weren't- I can’t imagine why your idiot of a father would have any reason to…” She sprung up from her seat, pacing a little bit. 

He scratched the back of his neck, a little uncomfortable. “Mari, it’s really not that big of a deal! I just have to drop a bit of weight before tomorrow so I can keep seeing you!” 

He had expected his words to make Marinette understand why he couldn’t eat and drop it, but her blue eyes widened, horrified. “Wha- Chat, what do you mean?”

“I mean, he, uh. If I don’t make the weight benchmark I’m probably going to be monitored a lot more closely so I won't be able to sneak out and see you, and Mari- I really don’t want to-”

“Chat- okay. Listen- you might not be comfortable telling me how much you weigh now, which is okay, but can you tell me how much you have to weigh by tomorrow? Please?” She approached him slowly, as if she was trying not to spook him, and Chat understood why, but he didn’t like it. He instinctively grabbed her, causing her to yelp as he pulled her down into his lap. 

_ There. That’s better. _ She sighed, chuckling a little at his antics, but turned to straddle his lap so she was facing him. She cupped his face with her hands, pleading him to answer her question. 

“Uh. 121 pounds? It’s really not a big deal, Marinette-” But she was already standing, at her computer with a fabric measuring tape out, looking at him expectantly. 

“C’mere. How tall are you?” Chat stood, though he already knew his height, and he let Marinette measure him. He knew there was no stopping her, and he watched as she opened her computer and pulled up a BMI calculator, typing in his height, weight, and age…

“Woah, Marinette- you don’t need to-” She pressed enter, spinning in her chair as “Underweight” flashed on her screen.

“Chat, this isn’t healthy. What your father’s doing to you isn’t healthy- I’m worried about you- I-”

Chat lifted Marinette into an embrace, silencing her protests. “Marinette. I know it’s not ideal, but I- I don’t really have a choice. Can we- can we not talk about it? I know it’s not good, but being Chat is my escape from home, being with  _ you _ is my escape from home, and I just… I want to enjoy that, okay? I’ll be careful, I promise.” He placed a kiss to her head, and she nodded mutely. 

She stepped away, making intense eye contact with him. “Just let your father know that as soon as I find out who he is, he’s getting a piece of my mind, alright?” 

_ You’ve already given him it, princess. _ Chat chuckled, thinking about the macaron incident and smiling slightly. “Okay, Mari.” She turned back to her computer, shutting it off and turning back to him. He was already sprawled on the chaise faux seductively, and when she turned around, he winked, making her laugh. She snuggled up next to him(platonically, of course- everything was platonic _ . Right?),  _ and he played with her hair as she got comfortable. 

“So, tell me about your day, purrincess.” 

It didn’t take long for Marinette to launch into an explanation of the robot meeting, but when she was done, she said, “Well, I don’t want to think about that anymore. Let’s talk about something else.” Chat looked at her, worried, but jumped up, gallantly bowing. 

“Well, purrincess, why talk when you can dance?” He pulled out his staff, selecting a song from his online music collection before resuming his bow. Marinette raised her eyebrows at him skeptically before shaking her head. 

“Nope. Nuh uh. I have two left feet, Chat. You do not want to see me dance.” Chat pouted dramatically and flopped back on the chaise, looking at her pleadingly.

“Oh, but a prince like me needs a beautiful princess like you to dance with!” 

Marinette scoffed, trying to ignore the rising blush in her cheeks. “A prince? Hardly, Kitty. You’re an alley cat at best, and besides, if you’re looking for a beautiful princess, you might want to look elsewhere.” 

Chat gasped before swooping her up. “She insults both our honors! Well, if she won’t believe in my princely ways, I’ll just have to show her.” He smirked at her before throwing her into a lively waltz across her bedroom floor. Marinette laughed as he spun her in front of the full-length mirror, before whispering in her ear, “See? Beautiful.” 

Marinette blushed again, but Chat continued dancing with her, and soon Marinette had picked up the steps and wasn’t completely awful. Chat, however, was incredible. He was dancing the waltz as if he had done it a million times. 

As Marinette got more comfortable with the steps, she couldn’t help but notice how natural it felt for Chat’s hand to lie on her hip, for his hand to be in hers. She shivered a little, and he pulled her a little closer, grinning. The song switched, to a slower one, and Chat dropped her hand, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. Her arms went around his neck, and she rested her head against his chest as he pulled her flush against him. They continued dancing, safe in each other's arms, until much later, when Chat gave an exaggerated yawn. 

“Oh, wow, Marinette. It’s late. I should head back, and you should head to sleep, alright?” Chat didn’t give her much room to argue as he backed out of her trapdoor, blowing her a kiss goodnight as she shook her head. “Goodnight!”

Marinette sighed as the cat vaulted away from her balcony. Tikki flew out from her hiding place, grinning. 

“Marinette…” She intoned, resting on her shoulder. 

“Nope. Nah. Not talking about it.” Marinette shook her head, a furious blush rising on her cheeks. 

Tikki frowned. “But Marinette, it’s clear that you-”

“He doesn’t like me back, Tik. Or, if he does, he still likes Ladybug more. It’s not… It’s not worth it.” 

Tikki blinked. “Marinette. You are Ladybug.” 

“He doesn’t know that!” Marinette raised her eyebrows, as if she had won the argument, though she had done anything but that. 

“But-”

“We’re not talking about this. I’m feeling like a run, aren’t you? Thanks, Tikki, you’re the best! Tikki, Spots on!” Marinette didn’t wait or listen to Tikki’s protests, though she felt slightly guilty as she darted out her window, running a familiar path to the Eiffel tower. She was surprised, however, when she saw Chat running the skyline as well. Sighing, she pulled out her yoyo and called him. Might as well run together- there wasn’t any reason other than that, of course. 

They met up on the Eiffel tower. Chat looked exhausted, and he was sweating. Ladybug was worried.

“Uh, Chat. What are you doing out? What’s up?”

He winced, looking away. “Oh, um. Just cat-ching a little exercise. You know.” 

Oh.  _ Oh.  _ Ladybug frowned, but didn’t comment- she knew she wasn’t supposed to know about his diet, or his weigh-ins, for that matter. 

“What about you?”

“Oh- just enjoying Paris, I guess.” Ladybug swung her legs, glancing at her partner. His expression had transformed from one of discomfort to one that she’d seen before- he wore a dopey grin and his eyes were soft before he turned to her, slightly more serious. 

“Ladybug. I have something to tell you.” She indicated for him to go on, somewhat nervous. “I… I think I’m in love. And- and I still care about you, obviously, but this girl… She’s amazing, LB. I just… I just wanted you to know.”

Ladybug’s throat constricted, and she choked out her reply. “That- that’s great, Chat. I’m so… I’m so happy for you.” 

Chat didn’t seem to pick up on her lack of air as he turned his lovestruck expression skywards. “I knew you’d be. Thank you, Bug. It means a lot.” 

They stayed silent then, staring down at the city they protected. When Ladybug yawned, Chat told her to head home and get some rest.

When she detransformed in her room, Tikki gave her a look.

“Nope! Not a chance. We are not talking about this.” Tikki sighed and fluttered down on the pillow next to her. She’d come around. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! The bonus scene at the end is to clear up a plot hole I accidentally made and was pointed out to me in the comments- thanks again!


	13. 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's weighed in... It doesn't go well.

Adrien was a mess of sweat the next morning when Nathalie came to pick him up. Hearing the knock on his door, he motioned for Plagg to hide, opening the door to reveal not only Nathalie but his father as well. 

“...Father? What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for your weigh-in, clearly. You haven’t made the last two, and I wanted to be here to see if that changed your tune.” 

Adrien stared at him as he turned and led the way down the stairs. What, did he think Adrien was stuffing rocks in his underwear because he enjoyed having his freedoms restricted? Did he think his presence could make him magically lose weight?

Adrien shook his head as they arrived at the scale and began to strip, immensely uncomfortable. He knew he’d make it, though- he’d been just an ounce off when he’d weighed himself hours before and had been exercising ever since. 

He stepped on the scale, ignoring the heavy stares of his father and Nathalie as the machine calculated. When it beeped, he grinned, realizing he’d even overshot his goal by an ounce or two. 

“See, father? I’m fine, it’s-”

His father cut him off with a cold stare. “Did I ask you to speak?” Adrien reverted his gaze back to the ground, but he couldn’t stop smiling- he’d tell Marinette tonight, she’d be so glad, they’d feast, and maybe he’d finally tell her-

“You’re still overweight.”

Adrien’s gaze shot up to his father, looking for traces of a joke on his face-  no, he doesn’t know what a joke is-  before looking back at the numbers on the scale. No, he had made it, he was sure of it. 

Carefully, he spoke up again. “Sir, what- what do you mean?”

“You are supposed to be 118 pounds for your next photo shoot.”

“Father, no one told me that-”

“This has always been the case, Adrien. You know that your bathing suit shoot is coming up for the early editing of the spring catalog, and you are not in any shape to be seen wearing designer swim trunks, are you?”

Adrien gulped, clenching his fists. Marinette’s BMI calculator flashed in his mind, and he didn’t want to think about what she would say if she heard about this. “But, Father-”

“No, Adrien-”

“That’s unhealthy! You- you want me at the same weight I was three years ago when I was five inches shorter! That’s unhealthy! This diet, this house, this entire system is so unhealthy! My weight right now is underweight- if I lost another two pounds…”

Adrien was looking at his father pleadingly, but his father just regarded him with cold, dead eyes. “I don’t think you would be having this issue- with weight or with talking back- if you weren’t attending public school. Don’t lie to me, Adrien,” he turned away now, regarding a portrait on the wall of Adrien as a child, “I know that that Marinette girl has been feeding you. Lila has been helpful in that regard. I can also assume that Marinette has put this unbecoming spark of rebellion in you, or maybe it was one of your other friends, I don’t really care. However,” He turned back to Adrien’s vulnerable form, adjusting his glasses, “I will be pulling you out of public school. You are dismissed.” Adrien stared, and it took every ounce of restraint not to scream or run to his father as he walked away. 

Adrien dressed, as if in a trance, and ascended to his room, where Plagg flew out, shouting obscenities directed at his father. Adrien just sat on his bed, toying with the edges of his sheets. He wanted to go out and cataclysm something, but- no. His emotions were too strong, he felt, and if an akuma were to come after him, he didn’t want it to get Chat Noir. 

He curled up on his bed, pulling out his phone and opening up the photos of him and Marinette. It was going to be a long day, that was for sure. 

* * *

Gabriel Agreste had felt his son’s emotions in his brooch as soon as he had said what he had said. Of course he had- the rewarding heat the brooch gave off was what told him that he had said enough. Otherwise, he was prepared to continue berating and abusing his son’s freedoms and emotions until he broke, if necessary. He needed a strong akuma, and he’d get it in any way necessary.

However, by the time he had reached his lair, the emotions were barely there, more like a dull throb in the back of Adrien’s mind. Hawkmoth ground his teeth, dropping his transformation. He was sure he’d get a powerful akuma out of this somehow, whether it be his son or Marinette. Adrien’s outburst had only proved that he needed to reset the timeline quickly; clearly, the only thing that could restore the boy’s obedience was his mother. 

Gabriel Agreste was willing to do whatever it would take to bring back Emilie.  ****

* * *

Adrien realized with a growing dread that his freedom in his room was being restricted, too. Roughly every 15 minutes, Nathalie barged in, likely to check if he was still there. The first few times, it had sent Plagg scampering. He was also told he had to ask permission to go to the bathroom and notify them whenever he planned on showering. He was half expecting them to put up cameras, and, lo and behold, they did, about 3 hours into his forced enclosure. He quickly realized that visiting Marinette, tonight, at least, would be near impossible. Sighing, he asked for a bathroom break and called his transformation. Pulling out his staff, he recorded a video. 

“Hey, Marinette. I don’t think I’ll be able to come around for a little while, uh… The weigh-in didn’t go very well, and I’m not being allowed to do much anymore. I’ll come as soon as I’m able, alright?” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I… I’ll miss you, Marinette. Stay safe for me.” He turned off the video, quickly checking it for any revealing backgrounds(it was bathroom tile, safe enough), and pressed send before detransforming. He flushed the toilet and then washed his hands for good measure, wishing he could be anywhere but his cage of a room. 

* * *

Marinette didn’t see the text immediately, as she was working in the bakery, but when she got up to her room and opened up her phone, the video message that was waiting for her from Chat was already making her nervous. She clicked it, and her frown grew. 

“Tikki, his father… His father’s worse than Hawkmoth! And I can’t even- I can’t even go and beat him up or anything because I don’t know who he is. Tikki, this is bad!” 

The kwami just looked at her miserably, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Marinette. Work on making him feel better for the next time he comes, maybe? There’s… not much you can do here. I’m sorry.” In her head, Tikki was contemplating a reveal, but it was dangerous, and…

“You’re right, Tik! Here, I brought up some cookies from the bakery. I think I have an idea for Chat.” 

Marinette sat down at her sketchbook and got to work. 

* * *

While Adrien’s Saturday was miserably uneventful and hungry, his Sunday was miserably scheduled, with Piano and Mandarin and the swimsuit photoshoot his father had been talking about. None of which, except for the photoshoot, had been on his schedule previously, which led Adrien to believe that they were just trying to restrict his freedom further. 

It was fine, honestly. He could deal with it. Plus, any moment spent outside of the mansion, like in transit to a photoshoot or to a lesson, made it more likely that he’d see Marinette. 

He knew he was obsessing a bit, but what else could he do? The hunger in his stomach was driving him near insanity, and he missed his princess. So, as he drove from one place to another, he stared out the window, rapt with attention, hoping to catch a glimpse of midnight black hair or bluebell eyes. 

The photoshoot was the worst, by far. While Adrien knew in his head that he was underweight, he still couldn’t get his father’s cold stare and cruel words out of his head. He couldn’t imagine why anyone would say something like that just to hurt his feelings, and he was supposed to be his father- was that how his  father truly felt about him? 

He stared at himself in the full-length mirror, and while he knew,  he knew , he was perfectly fit and healthy, he couldn’t help but stare, pinch the skin on his stomach the way he’d seen it done in ads for weight loss. Plagg floated up out of his coat pocket, looking concerned. 

“Woah, kid. You actually listened to that old dirtbag?”

“Plagg…” Adrien admonished him halfheartedly as he stared at himself in the mirror. 

Plagg hissed and barrelled into his hand, making him release the skin he was inspecting. “Stop that! What would Marinette say, you dumbass? Stop letting your father, who clearly doesn’t care about you, affect you more than a girl who’d move heaven and earth for you!” 

This shook him out of his trance, and he scratched the kwami’s head. Smiling. “Th-thanks, Plagg. You’re right. Let’s go.” 

And without a second look, Adrien stepped outside of his dressing room. 

* * *

Apparently, not having a cat hang out in your room for multiple hours a day really makes a lot of free time. Marinette had completed her gift for Chat, made a second one for herself, and had started on another crocheted gift for him as well. 

… she’d rather have her kitty back. 

Besides sewing, she had also been patrolling as Ladybug, hoping to catch any akumas before they made their way to their civilian victims, to hopefully save Chat the trouble of escaping. She worked double shifts in the bakery, and when she had done all that, she made her way to the top of the Eiffel tower and spent time designing. Every patrol, she brought a few croissants, hoping that Chat would show up and that she could have something for him to eat. 

Curled up on her balcony, she surveyed her current creations. She had first made a set of PJs for Chat that were themed after his superhero persona and then made a second set for herself. Her pair was definitely more feminine than Chat’s, and it was made out of green silk while his were made out of a more cottony material, but the idea was the same for both. Now, she was working on a beanie for Chat with little cat ears, and when she was finished with that, she was considering making him a little bell to tease him for the one on her costume. 

She just hoped he’d come back to her soon…

* * *

**   
  
**

Adrien had a plan because he sure as hell wasn’t going to sit here all day and miss school. He had stewed over the weekend and come up with a plan, and so he was up and awake, using Plagg to help him cover the cameras that had been installed with a black sharpie. Once he was sure that was done, he waited for Nathalie to check on him and tell him to begin his schoolwork, which she had laid at his door, before transforming and darting out his window. 

By the time Nathalie checked again, he was long gone. 

Adrien detransformed in an alleyway near the school, grinning as Plagg commended his work. He left the alley, headed for the school courtyard. As much as he wanted to go to Marinette’s, he knew if his father found him there, he’d have to go back home, and besides, he was almost late. As he met Marinette on the school steps, the Limousine pulled up behind him. Nathalie stepped out, looking furious, so Adrien quickened his pace.

“Adrien! Your father will hear about this. Turn around right now!” Adrien winced slightly but didn’t turn. He kept walking. 

“And why would I do that, Nathalie? Go home so that you don’t cause a scene.” He walked into the school courtyard, leaving Nathalie, fuming, behind. 

Marinette trotted up beside him, staying silent to let him talk. “Um, my father… wanted me to attend a business meeting with him today, and I didn’t want to, so…” He shrugged, looking at Marinette, who was chuckling now. He felt a little sick about lying to her, but he got the feeling that he wouldn’t be able to escape again, and he didn’t want her worrying. 

“Wow, Adrien! Good job, I guess! He shouldn’t be taking away your education.” Just then, Nino walked by, and Adrien glared at him. Marinette looked thoroughly confused but waited until they had passed until asking about it. “Um, are you two… fighting or something? What was up with that glare?” 

Adrien looked at her as if it was obvious. “He’s participating in the bullying, and as your old friend, Mari, he should be able to-” 

“Woah, woah- Adrien, did I not tell you? I’m so sorry! He apologized to me a week ago, after the Lila akuma. Thank you for caring, though, Adrien. It- it means a lot.” The soft look she was giving him was everything, and Adrien gulped. 

“I- I should talk to him, probably, right?” Marinette laughed and nodded. 

“Go on, Prince Charming, I’ll be waiting.” He was reluctant to leave her after not seeing her for the whole weekend, but he did, walking over to Nino to clear up the misconceptions. As soon as Nino saw his sheepish smile and him rubbing his neck, he was pulled into a hug, and all, it seemed, was forgiven. 

“Alright, go woo her now, Adrien. I’ve got to work on convincing my girlfriend that her best friend is, in fact, innocent.” Nino sighed, adjusting his cap, and Adrien smiled at him, before spluttering. 

“Wait- what- woo her- no- I mean-” He was shoved away by his laughing friend, and, shaking his head, he went to go find Marinette.  ****

* * *

Nathalie opened the large doors of the mansion soundlessly. Her heels clicked against the tile floors as she walked trepidatiously towards M. Agreste’s office. She knew he’d be unhappy, but she was unprepared to face his wrath, she was sure.  ****

“...So you’re telling me, Nathalie, that my son escaped his second-story bedroom, with you and his bodyguard guarding his exits, without either of you noticing?” 

Nathalie answered to the affirmative. 

The older man sighed heavily before standing. “This is unacceptable. Review the security footage of his room, and, in the future, I expect you to be in his room with him.” He walked to the mounted tablet to pull up the footage but growled in frustration minutes later. 

“He seems to have… colored over the security cameras… with sharpie? Very well. Get those replaced, and remove anything from his room that could interfere with them in the future. His door should be locked from the outside when he’s in there.” Nathalie nodded and excused herself. 

It was going to be a long week. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Long-time no see! I've been slammed by school again(this week I had six tests and two essays due) but now I'm on break and I have a fantastic 9 page essay on why Jane Eyre is actually gay. Anyways, happy holidays to all! Hannukah starts tomorrow and I'm PSYCHED. 
> 
> Okay, so fair warning and slight SPOILER ALERT, I'm giving you a double chapter, and you can already start to see it here an eensy bit but the next chapter starts taking a darker turn and goes to the actual plot I planned on writing- believe it or not, I really only planned on making this a one or two shot(it would've been awful), but just barely created a baseline relationship with Chat and Marinette before creating my evil mastermind problem. Anyways, enjoy!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien escapes from his room a second time to visit a special someone. Realizations ensue, and not all of the good kind.

Adrien was not greeted warmly when he returned home, that was for sure. Nathalie now just sat in his room, staring at her tablet, which he didn’t appreciate, but he couldn’t say it wasn’t worth it. 

“Adrien. Your schoolwork.” Adrien glanced back. It was Tuesday, only a few days into his confinement. He wasn’t able to escape again in the morning, and he was suffering for it. 

He glanced down at the tall pie of worksheets that had been printed out for him. “I’m doing it.” Adrien said it completely blankly, before turning back to the Ladyblog, which he had pulled up on his computer. He had no plans to do the busywork Nathalie prepared for him, and he enjoyed his teenage rebellion much more than he enjoyed doing work. Besides, his vision swam a little bit when he looked at the letters on the paper, and he was reminded again of how  hungry  he was. 

He instead chose to spend his time looking through the unpublished videos of footage sent to the Ladyblog. Originally, Alya had reviewed it all herself, but she got so many videos sent in by civilians caught in the fray of the battle that it became too much for one person. She then allowed Adrien to help her after much begging, and, while he hadn’t looked at it in a long time, he found it a suitable use of his time now. 

He scrolled through the videos, which were sorted by battle. His breath caught as he landed on a group from the first akuma attack Marinette was caught in- what were civilians  doing filming something like that? He shook his head. Sometimes, he worried about the Alya’s of the world. 

He clicked on the first video out of curiosity. He figured it would be loud enough to annoy Nathalie, anyways, and he wanted to see what was caught on tape. The file opened, revealing a shaky phone video. It seemed to be taken from an apartment building window, maybe second story, and it suddenly became clear to him what part of the battle this was. 

The focus zoomed in on the akuma, pinning Chat to a wall. Chat flailed desperately, and the videographer cursed audibly. 

Suddenly, a trashcan clattered out into the street. “Why don’t you come over here and bug someone else, huh?” The camera rapidly shifted to a girl, clad in pink and spots of blood as she took off down the alley. The akuma roared, dropping Chat and taking off after her. 

The video ended, and Adrien stared. That wasn’t… It couldn’t have been… 

He quickly pulled up another one, then quickly discarded it, noticing it was from a different part of the fight. It took another ten videos until he found the right one: again, filmed by a shaky phone camera, likely from an apartment above the akuma. 

The akuma roared as the figure fell, scrambling back. It hurled a blast, punctuated by a scream and an explosion. The girl had rolled out of the way, but it was a near miss- she continued scrambling back. 

“Oh, my god, she’d gonna die…” the videographer zoomed in on the girl’s face as another blast was hurled, bust she dodged again. It was close enough to see the realization light up her face, the slight smirk on the girl’s lips as she threw herself out of the way-

A blast destroyed a manhole cover, and a dark pigtailed girl threw herself in the opening in the ground, and she was gone. 

Adrien wasn’t mistaking it. It was Marinette, he was sure of it, and she had left the building he had left her at to, what? Put herself in more danger? He was befuddled, and deeply concerned, and he suddenly realized that the girl who saved him- who he had originally mistaken for Ladybug, though the footage proved him wrong- was  Marinette.  Marinette, for whatever reason, had left her safe haven of a building and, when she saw him in danger, immediately threw herself into the fray, super suit or not. 

Adrien restarted the video, but as the blasts began again, Nathalie groaned loudly, exclaiming “For God’s sake, turn that off!” He closed the video sheepishly before leaning heavily back in his chair. 

That girl was crazy. 

Adrien had wanted to sneak out and talk to her about it that night, but he was too closely guarded to even attempt it, so he stayed in his prison cell of a room, staring at the walls. He felt worst for Plagg, honestly- he had barely seen the Kwami, but the poor thing wasn’t used to being cooped up, and he didn’t even have a lot of cheese to gorge himself on. Nathalie had revoked his food ordering privileges, including food that he would never in a million years eat.

Nathalie, luckily, did not spend the night in his room, but he got the odd sense that she was watching him somehow, and he didn’t really want to test the theory out. He’d visit Marinette as soon as possible, he was sure. 

The opportunity came the next night when Nathalie had begun to despise her guard duties and to take them less seriously. She spent most of her time outside of the door, and sometimes switched out with Gorilla, giving herself a much-needed break. Adrien wasn’t afraid to seize the opportunity. He quickly transformed and darted out his window, Marinette’s bluebell eyes filling his mind and pulling him like a magnet. 

Marinette was sitting on her balcony, as she had done every night since Chat stopped showing up. She usually sketched, or knitted, or sewed, or just curled up with a blanket, thinking, all the while scanning the horizon for a sign of her Kitty. 

This night, she had brought a mug of hot chocolate out, along with two croissants, in hope that he would show up. She didn’t think he would, but she brought her blanket and her food out anyways and curled up on her lawn chair, fiddling with the edges of her Chat Noir pajamas. 

She’d worn them nearly every night since she made them, and it felt like they brought him a little closer to her. She sighed. It was certainly a thinking night tonight.

Adrien wasn’t at school today or yesterday, so Lila had seen it as the perfect opportunity to make some lies that she didn’t expect to be refuted. Of course, Marinette hadn’t died yet, so she stood up for herself, and Nino backed her. To her surprise, even Alya hesitantly supported her, calling it a “misunderstanding”. She… hadn’t expected that. Alya’s stubbornness was so rooted in her personality that once Marinette had realized that Lila had her claws in her, Marinette knew that she had no way of helping her former best friend. She could only watch and support as Alya failed and lashed out at all the wrong people. 

But now… Alya was reluctantly supporting her. Marinette wasn’t stupid- she knew Nino had been working tirelessly to help Alya see what was wrong with what was going on, but something  real  must be changing in Alya for her to be changing sides with no dramatic reveal or fight. 

She snuggled closer into her blanket and felt the ghost of a smile cross her lips. Maybe… Maybe she and Alya could repair their friendship. It would take time, and work and Alya would have to fix a lot, but… Marinette could see it happening. 

She suddenly noticed a black figure jumping the rooftops, far off but headed in her direction. She blinked and shook her head- she was worried she was lost in a daydream or hallucinating, but no… 

Chat got closer, and Marinette scrambled up, running to the edge of her balcony to lean out and greet him. He landed, stumbling, but he pulled her into a hug before she could react, smothering her as she breathed in his scent. 

“Chat…” She felt him hug her tightly, and she buried her face in his shoulder. “I- I missed you, Chat.”

He pulled away, hand on her cheek. He studied her face as she gestured at him to come inside. He followed her, but as he climbed down the ladder, he stumbled, and she noticed. 

“ Jesus , Chat. It’s almost as bad as when…” Her eyes misted over as she thought about the first time her visited her, but she shook her head. “Has… Has he been feeding you at all? You must be starving, let me grab you something.”

She darted off before he could protest, disappearing to the bakery below and coming back up with a second mug of hot chocolate and croissants, bread, danishes, along with nutritional food, like fruits and vegetables. It was a wide array of food, and the tray that she was using seemed heavy, but she seemed to have no trouble with it. 

She set it down next to him and he mumbled thanks as he stared at her. Were those… Chat Noir pajamas? His face flushed red as he stared. 

“Chat. Eat.” He obliged, but only because she was pleading with him, and he couldn’t say no. He ate a croissant to please Marinette before turning back to her. 

“Marinette… Are you wearing Chat Noir pajamas?” Her blush rose instantly, and he smirked. It was beyond cute, and he listened as she stuttered out an affirmative. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she darted up. He followed her as she made her way over to her desk, pulling out some objects from one of the drawers.

“Here! I made them as gifts- I have a lot of free time now, and-” She had spun around, and Chat was  right there.  Their faces were much closer than she had expected them to be, and he seemed to be drawing the same conclusion as he went pink in the face. It… was kind of endearing, actually. She shoved the gifts into his hands and looked away. 

Chat stared. He had a beanie, and Chat Noir pajamas that matched hers, and he’d never gotten a gift that sweet in his entire life. He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, and she squeaked.

“Marinette! This- this is amazing! I love it!” He let her go, but his hand stayed on her face, and she didn’t move away from him. He was aware of the position they were in, and his chest felt constricted, and still, nothing had ever felt so right in his life. 

“Marinette- I think- I think I love  you .” She gasped, but she didn’t pull away, and he leaned closer. Her lips were mere centimeters away, lips he had wanted to kiss for  weeks,  and-

“ Kitty…” Her voice was a whisper that ghosted over his lips, so full of desire and love that it was impossible to hold back any longer. His lips brushed hers, and she gasped, causing him to pull away, an apology on his lips. He was cut off by Marinette’s lips chasing his, slamming into him and kissing him passionately. 

He groaned, grabbing her waist and pulling her closer to him. She tasted like strawberries and honey, and hot chocolate, and he needed more of her, he needed so much more of her… 

His stomach grumbled, loudly, and she laughed, moving away. He groaned, but she was insistent as she grabbed his hand and led him back to the chaise, sitting him down by the food. 

“Mari…” He pouted, and she giggled again. 

“Nope. Eat. And actually eat this time- we’ll have plenty of time to kiss later.” A fierce blush rose on her face as she said it, and he smirked at her. 

“I like the sound of that.” He pulled her down, nuzzling her in his lap. She smiled softly and stayed quiet as he ate. He… kissed her. She kissed him back. She liked it;  liked was too mild of a word. It was heaven, sunshine, and warmth and all she wanted was to do it again…

She snuggled a little deeper into Chat’s chest, close enough to feel the gentle vibrations of a purr forming.

“Purrincess? I’m done. I- I ate a lot, and I’ll take the rest with me, alright?” She lifted her head to survey the plates she had brought up, before nodding and smiling at him. His eyes sparkled as he adjusted her position before leaning down to kiss her again. She moaned softly, and his hand moved to her hair, gently removing the bands and letting it fall around her face. Deepening the kiss, he buried his hand in her hair, pulling her closer with his other arm around her lower back. Her breathing was heavy, and he smiled against her lips before flicking his tongue over her lower lip, causing her to gasp. 

He grinned at her reaction and waited for her to open her mouth to him. She did, and he leaned her back on her chaise as his tongue explored her mouth. She kissed him harder, and he moaned at the soft intensity of her kisses. How did he get this lucky? How did he, the epitome of bad luck, manage to steal Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s heart? 

He wasn’t going to question it, he decided, as he kissed her again.

They were shaken from their world alone together when Chat’s baton went off with an alarm. Checking it, he cursed softly. 

“Purrincess… That was the alarm that wakes me up if I fall asleep on patrols. It’s late-like, really, really, late.” He showed her his baton and she gasped, reading that it was far past midnight. 

Her wide eyes turned into pleading ones, and a pout formed on her swollen lips. “Stay the night? Don’t leave me yet. Please, kitty?” 

It was near impossible to say no to those eyes, but Chat couldn’t help but imagine his angry father. “I’m so sorry, Marinette, love. I’ll be back as soon as possible, alright?” She nodded, then silently helped him gather the remaining food and his clothing. She walked him up to the balcony, and they stood there in silence, staring at one another. 

“Goodnight kiss?” Her lips quirked into a shy smile as she asked, and he grinned, setting down his load before sweeping her into a passionate kiss, illuminated by the moonlight. 

Turning away, he waved at her. “Goodnight, love. I love you!” And then he was gone, disappearing into the darkness of the night. 

She stared, waving at his back with a few fingers placed on her lips. “I- I think I love you too.”

* * *

Adrien’s absence had been discovered 15 minutes prior and now an enraged Gabriel was scouring the city for his missing son. 

“How the hell, ‘Gorilla’”, Gabriel watched as his driver flinched, “did Adrien escape through a room with one guarded door? Explain that to me.” He wasn’t expecting an explanation as he stared out the window, seething. 

“Take me to the Dupain-Cheng bakery.” If his son would go anywhere, he thought, he’d go there, and if not, then he’d finally have the chance to exact some proper revenge on the girl. He clenched his fists- it was her fault, probably, that his son was gone, and if  she wasn’t here…

He let out an involuntary growl before suppressing it. He needed Emilie back, that was for sure. The sooner he could reverse the timeline, the sooner he could reset his son and erase all of the rebellious thoughts from his head. He grimaced. How the  hell was he going to get those miraculous from those bratty teenagers?

The limousine, concealed by the darkness of the night, pulled over to the side of the road across from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. Gabriel made to get out of the car, with a mute Nathalie behind him, when he stopped dead. His gaze rested on the balcony above the bakery, where Marinette, and- was that Chat Noir?- were talking. He watched as she gave him something, and then as they kissed before he vaulted away. 

If he could get the cat miraculous, he could get the ladybug miraculous with no problem. If he got both of those, he could wish the timeline back, and his son would be back to his 13-year-old self who had no thoughts of rebellion or running away. Gabriel saw his path, laid out for him in front of him. It was so clear and easy that his current son, the Adrien he knew, had no importance to him anymore. He would cease to exist in a few days if all went well. And for the price of one, bratty girl? 

Well. That seemed like a deal. 

* * *

Max couldn’t sleep. This wasn’t uncommon, of course- usually, he used his insomnia to work on some of his STEM projects. He found he worked best at night, and he could supplement with coffee in the morning if necessary. 

Tonight, however, he wasn’t doing that. He was staring blankly at the robot he- no, Marinette- had built, and he couldn’t seem to get his head around it. 

“Max?” Markov spoke up from his place beside him. Max welcomed the distraction and gestured for him to continue. 

“Why did Marinette break the robot?” Max turned his head towards his metallic friend, sighing. 

“People are mean, Markov.”

“But Marinette isn’t. You said so just before she broke the robot- you said ‘Marinette is so nice, Markov.’.” Max groaned, turning his head. 

“Well, now she is, I guess.”

“But then why did she rebuild the robot? That’s a nice thing to do, isn’t it?” In truth, Max had been wondering the same thing, but he wasn’t willing to voice it. 

“I... I don’t know.” He flipped over the robot again. It really was incredible that she built it all in one night… she must have stayed up all night… 

He sighed, conscience getting the better of him. “Hey, Markov. Can you… hack into the school security tapes and see who broke the robot for me?” Markov whirred in confirmation, running his code, and Max waited in tense silence.

“Done! Here- it’s playing-” Max quickly plugged Markov into his computer as he watched, giving commands to rewind and fast forward. 

“There!” He cried, watching the time stamp. “Okay, now- locker room cameras- zoom in…” He gasped as he saw triplet ponytails and a distinctive pinched face. Shit.

“Markov… search your voice recordings for Lila’s voice. Pull out any of her claims- we’ve got some research to do.”

**   
  
**

Gabriel rushed to his lair, son forgotten. Transformed, he felt for negative emotions before shaking his head. He left his lair before returning with a blank book.

“I think I’m the best one for the job, don’t you?” He evilized a butterfly before detransforming, snatching it up and transforming into a villain. 

Alya awoke from a nightmare, groaning. They’d been coming more and more frequently, plaguing her with images of Marinette falling, Marinette dying, Marinette dissapearing, Marinette, Marinette, Marinette… 

Alya sighed, turning over in her bed. The guilt of not repairing her friendship had been weighing on her, for sure, but she wasn’t sure how to fix it, and besides, Marinette wouldn’t forgive her now. She was too late. 

Alya burrowed into her covers, swiping away tears. Her phone buzzed, and she ignored it. She wanted to get to sleep. But it buzzed again, and again, and she finally groaned, throwing off the covers to unlock the glowing screen. 

max: We’ve got an issue Alya

max: Read this

max: Asap

max: Plz it’s rly important

Alya furrowed her brow and clicked the link hurriedly. Max never used abbreviations, so she was convinced of the urgency of the situation. The link took her to a Google Doc, and she began to read, slowly at first, before rapidly scanning the document. 

She pulled out her phone, opening her chats with Nino. 

Alya: ive done fucked up

Her hand shook a little bit, but she grabbed it, and opened the ladyblog, deleting every untrue post. She flicked on her lights, setting up her in room makeshift film studio, before setting up her camera and beginning the video. She had some mistakes to atone for, didn’t she?

* * *

Marinette was curled up in her bed, but she couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t stop thinking about Chat, and every time she did a soft smile graced her face. Tikki sat on her pillow, watching it all. 

“Tikki, I’m so happy! I love him! Do I love him? Tik, I think I love him- when did that happen?” Tikki smiled at her Chosen. She had a lot of concerns with this relationship, sure, but it was far past time to voice them, and she hadn’t seen Marinette so happy in a long time. 

“I’m happy for you too, Marinette. Maybe you should-” 

Marinette never heard what Tikki thought she should do, as she phased through the bed with a panicked squeak. Marinette froze, feeling a whoosh of cold air and a pair of eyes on her. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Corrupting my son, giving him rebellious little ideas, sending me a mean little box of macaroons...” Her brow furrowed. Was this the collector? What had she done to upset him?

“You were such a little brat, Marinette. I sent akuma after akuma… well, you’re slippery, that’s for sure.” Marinette’s hand crept to her ear, dislodging one earring.  _ Sorry, Tikki.  _

“Pity such a talented designer has to go to waste at Hawkmoth’s hands. In my opinion, though, it’s good he stopped trying to kill you and finally thought to start using you for your connections, eh?” He walked closer to her, but Marinette’s second earring wasn’t out yet. She didn’t have time; she had no choice-

Well, no one knew Marinette Dupain-Cheng to go down without a fight. 

Marinette yanked the second earring out of her ear, springing up and out of the bed. The Collector- she had guessed correctly- let out a surprised yelp, and she jumped for her ladder, scrambling up towards her trapdoor. The Collector collected his bearings and let out a swipe for her with his book, missing and catching the ladder. She tumbled, but not before catching the rim of the door. She swung, kicking the collector and swinging herself through the door before slamming it shut. Once on her balcony, she ran, jumping around the back chimney to run along the rooftops. The Collector was not far behind, and Marinette started yelling. A few bleary-eyed civilians came to their windows, videotaping, and Marinette grinned. Perfect. If she wasn’t getting out of this, she needed people to know exactly what happened to her. 

She kept running, but the Collector was faster, and there were only so many curves she could throw at him. She was running out of options as the end of the apartment complex neared, and she frantically searched for some fire escape to lead her down to the ground. Instead, she stumbled and fell, allowing the Collector to close the remaining meters between them. 

“Ah, you ran, Marinette, but you failed. You do know what they say, don’t you? I should’ve done this a lot earlier- if you want a job done, do it yourself.” Marinette scrambled backward until she was stopped by a chimney. She’d run out of options. 

The Collector grinned wickedly at her, extending his book. “You’ve made it difficult, Marinette, but I’ve collected you now.” Marinette held up her arms, protecting her face, as the book touched her, and suddenly, she was gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so maybe you guys see where I'm going with this? I definitely didn't expect it to take me this long to get to this point, but here it is!


	15. 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paris is mobilized into a search team for Marinette, who is fucking with Hawkmoth's head.

**TW warning: torture(it feels so dark to put it this way but yeah oops)**

Plagg wasn’t a mind reader. But… He and Tikki were two halves of a whole, and when he woke up from his camembert-filled dream with a pit in his stomach that wasn’t his, he knew something was wrong. 

Instinctively, he checked his Adrien- he knew, faintly, where this feeling was coming from, and he _ had _ to make sure his holder was okay before he figured out what the _ hell _ was going on. Adrien was sleeping soundly with a soft smile on his lips, and Plagg immediately retreated to the furthest corner of the room. He would not influence his holder’s happiness with his negativity, not tonight at least. 

Plopping down, Plagg began to investigate. The void in his heart was only growing, and he knew his holder was okay, so what was happening to Tikki? What was happening to Marinette? He gulped, deciding to force himself to dive deeper into whatever was happening to Tikki, for Adrien’s sake. If Marinette was in trouble… Well, he wasn’t going to think about that just yet.

He spared one more glance at his holder before closing his eyes and plunging into the vacuum in his heartspace. Instantly, the warmth of the room was replaced with an icy cold, and Plagg shook under the weight of Tikki’s fear and helplessness. There was no one- she was gone- she left- she was _ gone _ \- empty- away- _ gone- _

Plagg shook himself out of it with a whine; tears were leaking from his eyes. He knew that feeling- or, parts of it, at least. Marinette- it felt like she had ceased to exist. She hadn’t even died, just left, and Plagg felt that had an awful similarity to a certain Kwami’s powers. 

At least, Plagg thought, he could be pretty certain she hadn’t been akumatized. Plagg didn’t know what that felt like, but Marinette was happier tonight than she had been most nights, and she was capable of fighting off akumas- Plagg knew that. Being captured didn’t sound much better to him, though, and now… 

He glanced back to his boy, sleeping so soundly in his bed. This had to be the first night in months he’d slept this well, minus the night he slept next to Marinette. Plagg knew he should wake him up and tell him what happened- Plagg _ knew _that- and maybe it was selfish and maybe it was cruel, but his poor, sweet Adrien deserved one night of sleep. Plagg knew what would happen. He’d wake him up, and he’d rush over and blame himself, nevermind the fact that Marinette can protect herself. He wouldn’t sleep until she was safe and sound again, and even then… 

Plagg shuddered and blinked back the tears in his eyes. And what about Tikki? Tikki-her pain hadn’t palliated in the slightest, and she was all alone out there. If he let his boy sleep, he could go find her and comfort her, show her that he was _ worth something _… He’d stop letting his negativity seep into his chosen for a few hours, and he’d bring Tikki back with him, and then the effects would balance, right? 

He realized with a sinking feeling that he really had no choice. Tikki would come to him if she wanted, and otherwise… Adrien needed to know the truth. He stared at his kitten, tears forming in his eyes as he hastily swiped them away. Why couldn’t he have gotten Tikki, or anyone who wasn’t the embodiment of bad luck?

Plagg sniffled a little, floating over to his kid. He’d bring Marinette back for him. 

“Kid, wake up. Come on- we gotta go- your girl’s in trouble.” Plagg turned away, concealing his teary face as he grabbed a wedge of cheese and popped it in his mouth. 

Adrien awoke groggily. “Wha- What? Marinette? Plagg, what?”

“She’s in trouble- come on! We gotta go!” Just as he’d hoped, Adrien wasted no time in transforming, forgetting to ask how he knew. 

In a matter of seconds, Chat was out the window and into the night. 

* * *

Tikki was panicking. She had followed the Collector right up until Marinette was taken, right up until that emptiness opened up in her stomach. She felt sick, and lost, and alone, and she was so worried for Marinette. How was she going to fix this?

The panic was coming on quick. Tikki had lost Marinette, and now she was alone and scared. Sure, she was a god, but what _ good _ could she do without a holder- without Marinette? 

Tikki had always been the confident and calm one of the two, of course, but that was for small things. Marinette only needed Tikki to bring out her confidence when it came to standing up to bullies or saving the city, and while _ yes _, those were big things, now Marinette was being taken to face off Hawkmoth with no powers and no partner. Marinette was in more danger than she had ever been before, and Tikki was terrified. 

Spinning around, she forced herself to think like she always told Marinette to. First, back to Marinette’s room. Plan from there. Numbly, she moved forward, entering the gaping hole in her room where the entire wall was removed. She settled down on Marinette’s bed, swiping away tears. She was okay. She had to be, right? 

In the distance, she saw Chat’s form vaulting towards the house. She cursed, quietly, in a dead language, before disappearing into the mannequin in which the miracle box was hidden. 

* * *

Nothing felt off in Marinette’s neighborhood, he didn’t think. He was barreling towards her room at high speeds, intending to land on her balcony, silently drop on her bed and make sure she was alive, and then be on his way. As he approached, however, the dread in his stomach worsened when he caught sight of the missing wall.

There was no way she was alright if her entire wall was missing. 

He gulped and landed in her room, racing to her bed. It was empty, sheets rumpled. Chat let out a strangled cry, racing to the rooftops to search for Marinette. He yelled her name, but the rooftops were silent, and soon his kwami’s voice echoed in his head, urging him to go back to her room. He obliged numbly. 

“_ Tell her parents. They should know.” _Plagg’s voice, usually snarky, had turned somber, and Chat let out a sob. He stumbled, and that seemed to be the last domino to wake them, as her mother called up her trapdoor to check on her. When he sobbed again, Mrs. Cheng climbed up the ladder, popping open the trapdoor to see what had happened. 

“Tom! Tom, come here- Chat, dear, where’s Marinette? What- what happened?”

It was going to be a long night. 

* * *

When The Collector had arrived at the mansion, he had opened his book and swiped Marinette out, sending her limp and unconscious form tumbling across the floor. He left then, leaving her inanimate and paralyzed.

Now, many hours later, she awoke from her coma, alone and cold. Opening her eyes, she found she was in a dark, high lofted room, only illuminated by a lilac tinted window. Classy. She pushed herself to sitting, groaning, and the fluttering of butterflies drew her attention- thousands of them- how did anyone even get this many butterflies? 

They had settled on her in her sleep, and now they were observing her carefully. “Hi there,” she whispered, sticking out her finger to a particularly inquisitive butterfly, “I’m Marinette. How are you?”

The butterfly didn’t answer, of course, but it settled gently on her finger before floating away. Marinette sighed. Her body felt stiff, and not entirely her own either. It was numb, bruised, and scratched, and come to think of it, she had a strange feeling that she’d been kicked once or twice in the stomach or head while she was out. Her legs still didn’t feel entirely _ there _, as if they were still on the pages of the book, and she didn’t trust herself to walk, so instead, she started crawling. She was looking for something- she wasn’t sure what, as it could be a weapon or a way out- and soon enough she found it. She had her suspicions before, but now there was no doubt. 

She had found a notecard-sized piece of paper with her handwriting on it, spelling out a note she had written out to Gabriel Agreste weeks before. She had suspected it before, when he was monologuing in her bedroom, but this confirmed it. 

She sighed heavily. “It’s him, isn’t it?” A butterfly that had been resting on her knee fluttered its wings. “Yeah. I thought so.”

She slipped the notecard into her waistband as she heard a soft whirring sound. “Hey, um, where was I before? Do you guys know?” Half of the butterflies hurriedly settles on a specific spot on the floor, while the other half gently tugged her across the floor. She scrambled with them, collapsing on the floor as a different section of the floor opened to reveal Hawkmoth. She stayed silent, watching through cracked eyelids as he rose and approached her, landing a hard kick to her stomach. Marinette fought to keep herself limp, but she groaned as he kicked her ribs, where a bruise was already forming.

“Good,” Hawkmoth- Gabriel- spat out, “You’re awake.” She glared at him from behind half-lidded eyes before groggily pushing herself to sit. She decided she was going to keep her knowledge of his identity a secret. 

“Why am I here, Hawkmoth? If it’s because you need some fashion advice… yeah, but otherwise, I can’t see why you’ve kidnapped me.” So, sure, Marinette said she was going to keep it a secret, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t going to use her knowledge to infuriate him. 

He fumed, leveling his cane at her heart. “Tell me who Chat Noir is.” 

Marinette stared at him in disbelief before bursting into laughter. She was rewarded with a hard jab to the chest. “Tell me. I can do this all day.”

She shook her head, still laughing. Another jab. “Tell me!” He was infuriated now, but Marinette didn’t really care, and besides, it wasn’t as if he could somehow hurt her enough to make her magically learn Chat’s identity. He hissed, unsheathing his cane(what the _ fuck?) _ to reveal a very long, very sharp sword. Unintentionally, she had been backing up this entire time and was now pinned to the wall. 

He put the sword against her neck, letting it bite her skin. “Not laughing now, are you? Tell. Me.”

She stared up at him, and, noticing the unhinged madness in his eyes, told him the truth. “I don’t know, Hawkmoth.” He let out an enraged scream, withdrawing the sword to slash it against her arm. He turned away from her, returning to the platform. 

“I’ll be back, Marinette. If you decide to tell me who he is, tell the butterflies.” With that, he was gone. 

Marinette hissed in pain, and immediately the butterflies swarmed her. It was almost as if they were speaking to her, reassuring her. The first swarm of them landed on her arm, and the second brought her some gauzy looking material, which she readily applied. 

Sighing, she curled up, carefully laying her arm down. It was going to be a long night. 

* * *

After Tom and Sabine had rushed Marinette’s room, Chat had only been able to get three coherent words out: “Marinette”, “gone”, and, pointing to the missing wall, “Akuma”. Her parents, while shaken, where far more composed than the leather-clad superhero, and they called the police, filing a missing person report. Due to Chat’s… state, they had him sit on the roof while the police came to talk to the Dupain-Chengs. Once Chat heard the police promise to return with any information, he slunk back down, waiting in Marinette’s room for her parents. 

They looked worse for wear, that’s for sure. They welcomed him into their living room warmly, but they looked as if they had been crying, and Chat felt his guilt settle heavily in his chest. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Chat felt tears rise to his eyes as he confessed. 

“It’s all my fault.” Marinette’s parents looked up at him, and, instincts kicking in, they moved over to where he was sitting. 

“No, dear. You can’t be out to stop every akuma. You have a life too- we’re just so glad you’ve saved her before.” Chat shook his head, and Tom and Sabine sat down next to him, indicating for him to continue.

“No, it’s- it’s all my fault. I’m the reason she was kidnapped, I-” He took a shaky breath before launching into his story, staring straight ahead so as not to get embarrassed. He told them about what spurred their nightly meetups, and how Marinette had saved him from hunger(at this point, Tom got up to make him some food before sitting back down again with a plate of pastries). He told them how it had truly just started out as him being fed by Marinette, and then they were hanging out as friends, and how from there it had snowballed until they kissed that night. Chat said that last part with a blush on his face, and he glanced at the Dupain-Chengs to see that they were crying. 

“Oh, of course, Marinette would… It just makes so much sense.” Sabine smiled at him tearfully. “And here I was thinking she was having a growth spurt.”

“Chat, son, this isn’t your fault. Marinette… she knew what she was getting into by kissing you. She tends to overthink these things- and anyways, Marinette is smart. She knew what she was doing and she knew the danger she was putting herself in, and she did it anyway. That’s-That’s not your fault, son.” 

Chat sniffled. “I…Thank you, I-” 

“You know what? Eat these pastries, and you can spend the night here- it doesn’t sound like your home life is all that superb. We won’t look at you when you detransform, alright?” Tom put a strong hand on his shoulder, and Chat knew there wasn’t much room for argument. 

“... if you’re sure, thank you.” Chat did his best to help the Dupain-Chengs make up the spare room, and, while he tried his hardest not to, he eventually fell into a restless sleep. 

Alya awoke the next day ready to go. As soon as she had finished her apology video, she had sent a single text to Marinette with the link and posted it on the Ladyblog and then gone to sleep. She had expected… a lot of hate, to be honest, and she wasn’t wrong- scrolling through the comments on the way to school made her want to vomit. It was fine, though- she would expose Lila at school, and then she’d apologize to Marinette, and maybe, _ maybe _ she’d forgive her.

When she walked into class, she wasn’t surprised to see Marinette missing, because she was always late, but it did make her wonder if she should’ve gone to the bakery first. Ah well. Alya set up her camera(hell yes she was filming this), and she waited by the door for Lila to walk in. She was a fox ready to pounce. Nothing would get in her way. 

In truth(this was rare), Lila didn’t check the Ladyblog often. By often, she means never- while she swore up and down that she read every one of Alya’s posts, she usually just waited for Alya to bring it up, said something vaguely positive, and then let her go off on a tangent about it, feeding off of that for information. 

That was what she planned on doing when Alya asked her about the latest post as she walked through the threshold. “Oh, it was great, Alya! Really interesting! I’m sure Ladybug loved it.” 

Lila continued to her seat as Alya smirked at her. Something felt… off, but it wasn’t an issue. 

“Yeah? You liked it? I’m so glad- was everything accurate, do you think?”

Lila nodded absently. “Yep! It always is, Al.” She fluttered her lashes, hoping Alya would stop interrogating her. 

“You heard it first, guys. Lila Rossi confirms that she is, in fact, a liar, and a bully. She bullied Marinette Dupain-Cheng and framed her for-”

“What- no- I didn’t-” Lila was up out of her seat, shocked at how quickly things had changed. Max was leaning back in his seat, smirking a little, and the rest of the class looked on, confused. 

“Really? That’s what I said in my video, and you watched that, right?”

“I-uh, I’m sorry, Alya. I felt so bad about not watching it that I- I lied, I didn’t know you said that- that slanderous stuff on your blog about me!” Crocodile tears rose to her eyes. 

“Oh, so you’ve been lying about watching my videos too. Well, no matter- I can still prove that you’ve lied about everything else as well.” Alya leaned down and pulled out a printed version of Max’s files from her backpack, slamming it on the desk. 

“Marinette was right all along, and we’ve been bullying and abandoning her to this horrible, lying brat!” Alya was prepared to go on, but was interrupted by Adrien walking in, looking as if all the life had been sucked out of him. Alya paused in her tirade, noticing how completely depressed Adrien looked. Lila used the distraction to slip out, and Alya approached the boy slowly.

“Adrien? You alright?”

Adrien had been woken up by the Dupain-Chengs early when they had found news, though it wasn’t much: it was footage of Marinette running wildly over the rooftops as she was chased by the akuma. No one, however, seemed to have gotten good enough footage of the akuma to see who it was, and no one saw her being taken. People only heard the akuma shouting things like “to Hawkmoth”. They hadn’t been spotted since. Adrien had taken that as his cue to leave, only to stop by the bakery less than an hour later under the guise of ignorance to check on her parents. They weren’t great, and there was no new news, but now he had the information as Adrien to pass along.

“Marinette- She’s been kidnapped. By Hawkmoth.”

* * *

When Hawkmoth came down to Marinette again, he had someone else with him. Curious, Marinette abandoned her conversation with the butterflies and looked up as he revealed himself and an akuma victim that looked a lot like… Lila.

“Truth Bringer. Your truth was forcibly outed, so now I’m giving you the power to forcibly out the Truth.” Hawkmoth turned to Marinette, smirking. “Maybe now you’ll have something to say on our superhero friend’s identity, eh?”

Marinette raised her eyebrows, watching as Lila walked over. “So, Lila, the class _ finally _ exposed you, huh? Too bad I wasn’t there to see it. Who was it? I’m curious- how did it go down?”

Lila hissed at her. “You little- I’m Truth Bringer. Now, tell me how you’re the ugliest, dumbest little brat to ever roam the Earth.” 

Marinette stayed silent as Hawkmoth spoke up. “Um, no, Truth Bringer- that’s not- ask her questions and compel her to tell the truth.”

Lila hissed but complied. “Alright then. Marinette- I’ll do what Hawkmoth asks, and then we’ll get to the real questions. Who is Chat Noir?”

Marinette smirked. While she felt compelled to answer the question, it dawned on her that there were many correct answers, and that she could annoy the hell out of these villains. “A superhero, duh. What, have you been living under a rock?”

Lila and Hawkmoth growled in tandem, Lila kicking her for good measure. What was it with supervillains and kicks to the ribs? “What is Chat Noir’s _ name _, you dumbass?”

“Well, I call him Minou sometimes, Chaton is good too. Sometimes just Kitty as well.” Marinette shrugged, and Lila kicked her arm, making it throb. Great. 

“What is his real name? His birth name?”

Marinette didn’t have a good way to deflect this one. “Gee, I don’t know… what is in a name anyways? Names are soooo weird. Like so weird. You know, I think they tell us a bit about personality. Like your name is Lila, which sounds like lie-la, and you lie, like a lot. Is it a chicken and egg sort of deal though? Which comes first? I don’t-”

Lila screeched, landing a hard kick to her face. She felt the bloody nose come on and groaned. “You. Little. Bitch!” Each word was punctuated with a kick, and Marinette was not impressed with this particular akuma. Seriously, she had some good powers, and she was just resorting to brute force. Despicable. 

“I’m giving you one more chance: what’s Chat Noir’s secret identity?”

“Ultimate Mecha Strike Enthusiast.” 

It was not, in fact, her last chance. 

* * *

Adrien, as soon as he was released from school, darted outside and to the Dupain Cheng bakery, transforming in a side alley before entering their house. There was no news, they said, and Chat’s tail flicked anxiously. 

“Go back to school, son. We’ll- We’ll have more information by then, and we can discuss where to go from there. Marinette- she’s strong, but there’s nothing we can do right now.” The tears in Tom’s eyes struck Chat, and he nodded docily, turning and returning to school. There, he was sorted into a recon team to search for Marinette. He’d do it, of course, but he had a feeling it would be no use. He sighed, fighting tears. 

Later that night, he was transformed on the Eiffel Tower, calling Ladybug with no response. Why did everyone he loved leave him?

* * *

The interrogation continued for hours, and by the time Hawkmoth decided it was no use, Lila was seething and Marinette was worse for wear. Hawkmoth left, taking the akumatized Lila with him, and Marinette was left alone with her aching body and the butterflies. 

And it stayed that way. For days. Marinette couldn’t tell time all that well, but the window told her if it was night or day, and while she felt her body go dormant with hunger, she knew time was passing. In that time span, no one came to visit her, but it at least gave her the peace of mind that there were no akumas sent out either. Right?

* * *

Tikki was nervous. She had a plan, sure, and because she had possession of her earrings, she had free reign to travel in and out of the miracle box which was ingeniously hidden within the mannequin(seriously, her bug was so smart), but she needed someone else, a human someone else, to get Trixx out. 

It was a smart rule, of course: it was imposed by the humans to keep kwamis from forming revolutions or something dumb like that, but the kwami’s used it to keep greedy humans in line. If they couldn’t force their kwamis to get other kwamis from the miracle box, it was safer for everyone.

However, that stature posed a problem right now, and Tikki waited anxiously for someone to come up to Marinette’s room to help her.

Finally, Sabine climbed up the ladder to Marinette’s room, sitting dejectedly on the floor. Tikki crept out of her instinctual hiding place, trying not to scare the poor, frazzled mother. 

“Um, Mrs. Cheng? Hi. I- I need your help.” 

* * *

For Adrien, the days passed in a blur. He woke up, went to school(mostly), and went on searchs with the school and as Chat Noir. They found nothing. He got his meals from the Dupain-Chengs, and he tried to reject their offer of sleeping their full time too, but that failed when Adrien _ swore _ he was hearing Marinette’s screams bouncing up through the empty walls of the mansion. 

It only got worse as the press caught wind of what had happened. Paris was terrified and infuriated at the idea of a girl being kidnapped by Hawkmoth, and Chat did his best to assure them that they were working on it, but it was impossible without Ladybug at his side. She was nowhere to be found, and Chat was scared for her now. What if somehow…?

He wouldn’t think about it. He couldn’t. 

* * *

It was a few days(Marinette thought, at least, she had been floating in and out of consciousness) before she felt a change. She awoke from her hunger induced sleep to find a biting, damp wind. Her wrists were being restrained, too, and she soon realized she was being lugged through the streets of Paris tied to a chair. Cracking her eyes open, she watched as Hawkmoth used the shield of the early morning darkness to hop from rooftop to rooftop. She could see the outline of the Eiffel Tower in the distance, growing steadily larger. 

Marinette struggled weakly, but she hadn’t eaten in days and her ribs were bruised if not cracked. Every movement was painful, and all Marinette wanted was to be claimed by sleep again. It couldn’t be that bad, to drift off again, right? Just for a few minutes…

* * *

Alya wasn’t sleeping. She hadn’t been, really, except for a few, scattered power naps throughout the day. She spent her nights on the search routes everyone else were calling useless because goddammit she had to be able to do _ something _. 

That was what she was doing when she paused to take a break by the Place de Trocadero, sitting heavily on the steps. This was Marinette’s favorite place to sit and design- if she was remembering correctly, this is where Marinette designed her derby hat for the competition. 

Alya’s eyes burned. She didn’t want to cry- she had done enough of that recently- but it was difficult to help. Marinette had been her best, first friend, and Alya had tossed that away for a lying, good-for-nothing-

Alya squinted for a second staring off at the Eiffel Tower. Was that…? No, that couldn’t be Chat- she knew he was meeting with the Dupain Chengs, and besides, he wasn’t using his staff to get around. What was that hero holding? She took out her phone, using her camera to zoom in. It looked suspiciously like a…

_ Oh my god. _ Alya screamed, quickly pulled up her messages to the Dupain-Chengs.

_ Alya: Hawkmoth at eiffel tower RN _

_ Alya: with Mari _

_ Alya: pass on message to Chat NOW _

Chat was conversing over a cup of coffee with the Dupain-Chengs when they got the message. He knew it was important by the way Tom’s face turned paler than it already was and how he bellowed the message, leaving Chat scrambling out and towards the Tower. 

Hawkmoth was going to _ pay. _

* * *

Tikki heard the commotion from below, and, gathering up the sweets and food Sabine had been bringing up ever since she freed the Kwamis, Trixx and Tikki took off, following Chat Noir as the sun started to rise over Paris. 

* * *

Hawkmoth had carefully set up his trap for the heroes. He had decided that if he couldn’t get any information out of Marinette, he could very easily bait them with her, and he sure as hell was going to. He had released an akuma, and the monster form of Lila was on it’s way over now to guard Marinette. She was tied to a chair, and Hawkmoth had used a long cord of rope to tie the chair to a higher beam of the tower, leaving her dangling and slowly spinning over the pavemnet hundreds of feet below. 

As soon as the Lilakuma was in position, Hawkmoth was ready. He leaned on his cane in a manner of nonchalance, waiting for the heroes. He didn’t have to wait long. 

* * *

When Tikki and Trixx arrived, Chat was in a staredown with Hawkmoth. Neither were ready to make the first move, and Tikki was sure that Chat was hoping that Ladybug would show up, at least for this. Tikki hoped she could make that happen, but as she approached her chosen, she wasn’t so sure. 

Marinette was beaten and bruised, and she had thinned a good deal too. Tikki could only let out a stunned gasp, while Trixx let out a string of angry curses in Sanskrit. With their small size, they flew by the Lilakuma unnoticed, and Tikki put one of her small paws on her poor chosen’s face. 

Marinette groaned, cracking her eyes open. “Tik-Tikki? Is that- Is that you? What are you doing here? Why- why don’t you have a new holder? Chat- Chat needs help-where is he? Oh my god, Chat’s fighting alone, Tikki-”

Tears filled Tikki’s large, bluebell eyes. “Mari, what- what did he do to you?”

“Oh, Tik, this is nothing. I’m alright. What- What is Trixx doing here?” Trixx waved at Marinette at this point, and Marinette gave her a tired smile back. 

Tikki’s eyes turned determined. “We’re getting you out of here. I’m not- you’re the best with the convuluted plans here, and I brought Trixx because you’re gonna need extra help. Her raw power- when she’s not transformed- is to create unbreakable illusions. Can you work with that?

Marinette narrowed her eyes, and Tikki smiled slightly when she saw that their usual Ladybug fire had returned.

“Okay, Trixx. How many illusions can you make at once?”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Perfect. Memorize this image for me?” Marinette had been speaking from a partially collapsed position, and now she let her head loll forward. “Okay. Now, Tik, can you put the earrings in? Same with the necklace, Trixx.” The two gods helped her put on the jewelry, exchanging looks as she faltered under the weight of two miraculous. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t-”

Marinette set her jaw and shook her head subtly. “No, I’m doing this. I’ve got this. Trixx, on my signal, create a tube-like mirage of invisibilty? Can you do that? I need it to mimic the surroundings so that when I fall through it no one sees me.” Responding to Trixx’s nod, she plowed on. “Simulateously, I need a fake me sitting on this chair. That illusion will stay indefinitely, alright?” Trixx gave another affirmative answer, and Marinette narrowed her eyes, determined. 

The Lilakuma had been staring off pointedly in the other direction for some time now, supposedly to watch for Ladybug’zs arrival. It had been allowing the kwamis to talk to Marinette unnoticed, but Marinette felt that was changing quickly. The two gods helped her untie her hands and feet. 

“Alright, Trixx, on my count: 3, 2, 1…” And then Marinette tilted herself off the side of the chair, hurtling down the side of the Eiffel Tower. Tikki was screaming incoherently behind her, and she mentally apologized to her as she called out her transformation phrase, sheided entirely by the illusion Trixx was creating. She flung out her yoyo, catching it on a beam of the Eiffel Tower before slowly lowering herself to the ground. 

Testing her weight, she sighed heavily- she still felt unsteady and sick, even with the Ladybug suit. She had to be more tactical about her movement. Throwing herself into battle wouldn’t do any good- she had to come in from the best angles at the best possible moments and-

Her train of thought was interrupted by a frantic civilian, she turned, and almost fell over when she saw Alya. “Ladybug, shit, I know I shouldn’t ask you this in public but please _ please _ let me have the miraculous so I can go up there and kick Hawkmoth’s ass and kick Lila’s ass and kick anyone up there who’s hurt hers’ ass- please- I need to apologize, I need to save her, Ladybug, I gotta- I messed up so bad- I-”

And that is when Ladybug saw the unbreakable Alya Cesaire dissolve into tears. 

She was frozen for a seocnd before she jumped into action. “Alya- no, please, breathe. Listen- go home, get some sleep. When was the last time you slept? I can’t give you the miraculous, but I promise, we will save her, and what Chat and I really need right now is for all the civilians to clear out- we can’t have any more take hostage, alright? _ Please, _Alya. I gotta go- be safe.”

Ladybug darted off, zipping up the Eiffel Tower, but Alya stayed stock still before darting into action. She examined the Eiffel Tower quickly. Really, if no one suspected that there was fighting going on up there, no one would know- everyone was so small looking. She grinned. If Ladybug needed her to clear out the civilians, then that’s what she’d do. 

The sun had risen by the time Alya got to the Arc de Triomphe, and using a cheap film editing software, she had a fake video up on her blog in no time. She checked her watch. Off to the next place. 

* * *

By the time Ladybug had yoyoed up the building, Chat and Hawkmoth had begun their fighting. Ladybug hid comfortably in the rafters, preparing to drop down to their level. The opportunity came quickly, and she dropped into the battle, knocking Hawkmoth’s saber away from Chat. 

Chat glanced at her, and he smiled in relief before setting his features in a grimace. “We have a lot to discuss, Ladybug, but after. For now, let’s beat this sucker’s ass.” Ladybug gave a pained nod as she agreed, landing in a fighting stance.

The battle went on and on. Hawkmoth was strong, and Ladybug felt herself fading fast. She soon couldn’t make an advance without stumbling, and Chat, who had been fighting for longer, was tiring. Neither side was winning, and, at a moment when both heroes had been distracted, Hawkmoth decided to cut his losses. 

He called out a command to the Lilakuma through their link, and she used one of her monstourous talons to cut the rope holding the illusion of Marinette. She the chair and tossed the limp, tied up victim to Hawkmoth, who took off. 

Chat panicked- readying his staff, he made to follow, but Ladybug’s yoyo wrapped itself snuggly around his waist and held him in place, forcing him to let Hawkmoth escape with his princess. 

“Wha- Ladybug, what the hell? Let me go!” He struggled, violently, ignoring how unusually exhausted and pale Ladybug looked. 

“No- Chat- stop, that’s not- that’s not _ real _, Chat.” Chat stopped struggling, partially because Hawkmoth was out of sight and partially because her words shocked him. 

“What the hell do you mean?” 

“I mean, it’s an illusion. Marinette is safe at home.” Ladybug flopped backwards, lacking the strength to hold herself up any longer. 

“Okay, well now I know you’re crazy. Listen, you’ve been gone this entire time, leaving me to deal with this entire thing by myself, and now you’ve let Hawkmoth escape, so _ please _, let me chase him and save her-”

He made to run away again, but Ladybug’s yoyo was quicker. “No, Chat- if you go now, we lose our advantage- I know who Hawkmoth is, but we have to lay low, _ please _, Chat.” He stopped struggling, glaring at her. 

“What, you brought Rena Rouge out? Cause I don’t see her, Ladybug. Prove to me that the girl I love being taken to the lair of a supervillian is an illusion and I’ll believe you.” He spat the last words out, and her heart went out to him- she saw how tired and ragged he looked. She scooted back to prop herself up against a support beam and gestured to her chest before calling out to Trixx, who appeared with a macaroon in her mouth. Chat stared, wide-eyed, before looking over to Ladybug. 

“So, you promise me that wasn’t actually Marinette?” 

She smiled ruefully before responding. “I promise.” Chat’s entire body sagged in relief.

“I’m… sorry for doubting you, but you disappeared and I…” His tail flicked and he looked away. 

“It’s no problem, Chaton. C’mon, let’s talk strategy for attack tonight. I think-”

“Nuh-uh-uh.” Trixx has finished her macarron and was wagging her paw at the both of them. “Not a chance, Ladybug. Hand over the necklace.”

She sighed heavily. “I’m fine, Trixx! Really.”

“Nope, she’s not. Look at her, Chat- please take the necklace from her.”

It was the first time Chat had really looked at her since before Marinette was kidnapped, and- Jesus Christ. Ladybug was pale and sickly, and thinner, too, and her nose looked bloody. On second glance, the blood wasn’t new from the fight. 

“M’lady- oh my god- here, let me help you up, okay?” She took his offered hand and stumbled as she stood. Chat looped his arm under hers and gently shifted the necklace from her neck to his. 

“Th-Thanks, Chat.” 

“Can you make it home? What- what happened, Ladybug?” Chat’s voice was so concerned that tears sprung to her eyes, but she blinked them away. 

“I’ll make it, Chat.” And, remembering what he said to her on the first time on her balcony, she added, “I’m… hungry.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, was it?

Chat looked terrified as he stared at her, but one glance at the trickster kwami told him not to pry further. 

“Thanks, Chat, seriously. I’ve got to head out now- 18:00 for discussing attacking strategy, alright? See you then.” And before Chat could protest, Ladybug swung accross the city, always half a second from crashing to the pavement. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all! I wanted to give this chapter to you guys as a christmas present, but my schedule was more busy than anticipated and alas, it's a day late. Anyways, here you go! Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, and happy holidays all around! Enjoy!


	16. 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette prepares for the final battle...

When Ladybug finally reached her balcony, she frantically called off her transformation, collapsing into a lawn chair. Tikki flew out, frantically observing her chosen’s frail form.

After a few minutes of observing all of her injuries, Tikki sucked in a sharp breath. “Marinette, you need to go to a hospital- these are bad!”

Marinette shook her head, forcing herself to stand and lower herself to her bed. “No, Tik- if I go to the hospital, my cover will be blown- Agreste currently thinks I’m still leverage, and we’re gonna use that, and second, I can’t fight if I’m in the hospital.” She winced as she made her way down the bed, and further down from there. Despite the screaming pain, well, everywhere, she changed into a loose-fitting sweatshirt to cover the gash on her arm and she cleaned the blood off her face. She had Tikki redo her hair, and she carefully sat down at her desk, pulling out some paper. 

She had a plan, and it was dangerous. If she didn’t make it out… Well, she wanted to have something for her parents. 

* * *

  
  


Chat ran across the rooftops, Trixx easily keeping pace with him. He was going to see Marinette, but… not yet. He wanted to give her some family time- her parents deserved it, and they deserved to see her without the reason she was stolen intruding on them. 

He plopped down heavily on the rooftop. “So, Trixx. Tell me about these illusions you’re making.”

“So, the things that break Rena Rouge’s illusions are them being touched, right? Mine are unbreakable, because no one can touch them. It’s cool, actually- there’s like this bubble around all of my illusions where no one can hit, and- I got this with a little help from the kwami of Persuasion- their attention is diverted somehow, and they realize that they actually don’t want to touch my illusion.” She smirked as if she was incredibly proud of this. “I can make a few at once, and I can hold it up indefinitely, unless I get hungry.”

Chat furrowed his brow. “Wait- but Hawkmoth had to carry Marinette away, so…?”

Trixx laughed. “The chair was real! She started out there, of course, but then Ladybug rescued her and we replaced her with an illusion. The chair was real, so he was carrying that.”

Chat nodded, and they lapsed into silence before Trixx broke it. “So, why aren’t you visiting your princess? Huh?” Trixx’s purple gaze was piercing, and Chat looked away. 

“I just… I’m scared, I guess. It’s my fault she’s hurt like she is- you saw her on that chair- and what if she doesn’t love me anymore, or if she’s hurt and I…”

He trailed off, but Trixx just shrugged. “Well, how are you gonna know if you don’t go? Come on, let’s go.” 

Chat obeyed, and soon he was vaulting across Paris. He dropped in his princess’s trapdoor as she was finishing her last letter, and he didn’t notice as she haphazardly shoved them behind her sewing machine. 

“Marinette! You’re okay! You’re-” She slapped a hand over his mouth, muffling him, and he raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Shhhh- my parents don’t know yet.” She looked ashamed, and a little heartbroken, but her voice came out confident. 

“Wha- Marinette, they’ve been torn up over your disappearance! I should know- I spent every day here since. Come on, Mari- we’ve got to tell them.”

Marinette shook her head vigorously. “Tomorrow, I’ll tell them, but my safety has to remain a secret if we want your plan to work tonight.”

“Marinette, that’s ridiculous. You know your parents can keep it a secret- they’re not about to go broadcasting it or anything.”

“Yeah, sure, but they’re gonna probably force me to go to the hospital or something, and that’s as good as broadcasting it, and I’m fine, so-” 

“Where are you hurt?” Chat’s eyes burned with fury. He was going to rip Hawkmoth’s throat out, he swore to Kwami…

“Nowhere! I mean, I’m bruised a bit, and maybe scratched up from jumping over the rooftops, but that’s it, I swear.” He clearly didn’t believe her, and made to check, but she turned away. 

“Marinette…” 

“He didn’t hurt me! He used a truth-telling akuma, he had no reason to.” She shrugged, as she wasn’t lying with the second part. He had no reason to hurt her, he just… did. 

“I’m telling your parents, Mari. I’m sorry.”

She whipped around. “Don’t you dare, Chat.”

“I’m not going to lie to them, Mari!”

“You can either not tell them I’m back and maybe help me out by getting me something to eat, or you can leave.” She took a shaking breath. “The door is right there.” She pointed to the trapdoor, and she winced as Chat’s tail tucked and ears flattened. 

“I… Fine. I’ll stay.” Chat disappeared to the lower level, and Marinette shuddered, feeling horrible for how she treated him. Sighing, she moved her bloodstained PJs that she wore while in captivity from under the desk to her hamper, and she sat on the bed, trying to find the most comfortable position with her likely broken ribs. 

Chat padded down the ladder and was met with Tom’s increasingly worn down face. He was just entering the apartment, and he gave Chat a bear hug as soon as he saw him. 

“Hi there, Mr. Dup- I mean, Tom.” 

“How are you doing, Chat? Have you been sleeping enough? Eating enough?” As he spoke, he prepared a plate of food, as if he knew the answer to those questions would be no.

“Ah… Thanks, Tom.”

“Of course, son. Now, listen- we saw what happened today. You did your best. Thanks for fighting for her. She’s-” He sniffed now, and his green eyes filled with tears that he swiped away with his large hands. “She’s lucky to have you. Thank you.” He turned away, hiding his tears, and Chat felt his eyes burning as well. 

“I… Thanks, Tom. Do you mind if… There’s this song Marinette and I used to dance to. Do you mind if I sit in her room and listen to it?” 

Tom turned around again, smiling. “Of course, son. I’m going back down to the bakery. Gotta keep busy, you know. Marinette, dancing! Ha! Sabine will laugh when she hears this- our girl was-is, I mean- always so clumsy…”

Chat returned soon, with a plate of her parents’ food. “Chat! I’m… sorry I was so harsh with you, I just… I want him gone, and you can’t do that with me as a liability, and he might come back for me if he thinks I’ve been saved, and…” She sniffled, and it wasn’t fake. She had missed her room, her parents’ food, and her kitty, however short it may’ve been, and she didn’t want to think about the stupidity of her plan and having to face Hawkmoth again. 

Chat set the plate down and sat down next to her on the bed, putting an arm around her. He pulled out his baton, turning on the music to mask the sound of their voices. She leaned into him, gently, and he rubbed her arms, shushing her and promising to protect her. He gently pulled her into her lap as she ate. Every few things she ate, she offered something to him, encouraging him to eat so that he’d be fed up for the battle tonight. When she finished, she turned around, straddling him. 

“Kitty? I gotta say another thing. When you last saw me- you know, when we kissed- you said, you said that you loved me. Did you mean it?” She paused for half a second, and Chat began to answer, but she wasn’t listening. “Well, it doesn’t really matter, I guess, ‘cause it doesn’t change what I’m going to say, but just makes it harder… I’m really not good at expressing my feelings, Chat. This is- ugh. Okay. Here goes, I guess.”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “You said it, and I never got to respond, and I was so scared while I was there because I thought- I thought I’d never get to tell you, or say it back, or kiss you again, and I never got to say it again, and I have to do it now because you’re going to leave tonight and I’m scared for you and I just- okay. I have to say it, don’t I? Chat- Kitty- Mon Chaton- I love you so much. I’m in love with you, and it’s so scary to love you, Chat, because you’re always sacrificing yourself and I’m rambling now, aren’t I?”

Chat chuckled softly, but his eyes were teary at her confession. He lifted up a clawed hand to stroke her face, and she leaned into his touch. 

“I meant it.” She looked up at him, her bluebell eyes bright, and she smiled softly as he brought his lips down to hers, giving her a gentle kiss. 

“Don’t be scared for me tonight, love. That kiss is a promise I’ll come back right after, okay?”

She nodded, wrapping her arms around him and leaning against his chest. His chest moved as he breathed, calming her, and he rubbed her back gently, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. 

Too soon, 18:00 came. Chat gently kissed her forehead. 

“I’ll be back, Princess, okay? See you, my love.” 

“Wait! Chaton, one more kiss? For- for good luck?”

He nodded, and leaned in, but something was off, and she was crying, and this kiss tasted like goodbyes. He frowned, pulling away. 

“Hey, Marinette-”

“Good luck. I believe in you. I… I love you.” Her tears were already wiped, and she was smiling as if that kiss hadn’t tasted like their last. He shook his head. Maybe it was just him.

“Okay. I’ll be back. I promise, Mari. Wait for me.”

She turned around, grabbing the last macaroon from the platter and offering it to him. “For the road?”

He nodded, and he was off, headed towards the Eiffel Tower. 

As soon as he left, Tikki flew out, worry creasing her small forehead. “Marinette, please rethink this- I don’t like this- I’m worried for you, Marinette-”

She gave a hollow laugh and shook her head. “No, Tik, I’m fine. Come on, take a cookie. We have a big battle ahead of us.”

Marinette changed into her bloodied PJ’s, wincing, as Tikki continued to fret over her. “But Marinette, this is so dangerous, and you seem to be- I don’t know, Marinette, you seem to be preparing your final wishes or something, and-”

Marinette just shook her head. “I’m fine, Tikki. I swear.” She spread the letters out on her desk. “We already discussed that this is the best way for us to get the brooch, and once that is over…” Marinette sighed, as if already experiencing the bliss of not having to deal with the nightly akumas. 

Tikki sighed. She didn’t think she could convince Marinette, and she didn’t have much choice, so she fidgeted with her paws as she watched her chosen set herself up for death. 

“Alright! I’m ready. Tikki, spots on!” Ladybug darted out of her window, landing gracefully on the streets below. 

If anyone asked, she would swear up and down that she really meant to go straight to Chat. When she saw her parents in the bakery, however, her mom with the warmest smile despite the haggard look in her eye, she found herself entering the bakery. 

The bell above the door jingled, and Sabine looked up. “Ladybug! What a… surprise.”

Ladybug winced. “Hi, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng.” Her father had popped his head out from the back as well, and she said hello to him too. “I know… You’ve probably gotten enough of this in the past few days, but I’m… so sorry about your daughter. We know where she is- we’re getting her back tonight.”

Sabine nodded. “Thank you, Ladybug.”

Ladybug suddenly realized that her mother thought of her the same way most of Paris did, as a slacker and as someone who abandoned her partner, and she panicked, talking quickly. “And- I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner! I- I was on a recon mission to find her, and I- I was undercover, and even Chat didn’t, and I-” Tears had started to come to her eyes, and she winced, but her mother and father both embraced the heroine.

“It’s alright, Ladybug. Shhhh, you’re alright- take a breath, Ladybug.” Ladybug took deep breathes, inhaling her parents’ scents.  _ This may be the last time I ever smell them _ . 

The thought shocked her, since she planned on coming back. Maybe Tikki was right…?

She shook her head, clearing it of the nasty thoughts. “Th-Thank you, Ma-Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, Mr. Dupain-Cheng.” She pulled away, wiping her eyes. Her ribs hurt slightly from the bear hug she had been given, but it was worth it, she thought. 

“Anytime, dear. Now- a macaroon for you and your kwami?” Ladybug started at her mother’s sly look. 

“Wha- What’s a Kwami? I don’t- I mean-” She sputtered, utterly confused. 

“Relax, dear. Your kwami- Tikki, was it?- she needed my help unlocking that box in my daughter’s room. For a while I thought… Well, it’s not important. Here, take a macaroon. On the house.”

Ladybug shook her head. “No, I’ll pay, if that’s alright with you. And… I gave her the box because I trust her, and… Okay. If this isn’t too intrusive of a question, how often do you go to her room?

“Not- we haven’t been, not since she disappeared.”

“If you’ll take my advice, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, I’d go up there more often. It’s… therapeutic, I think. I know Chat… well, he finds it helpful. Think about it, alright?”

Ladybug gulped, and with a wave, she turned and left the bakery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Thanks for all the amazing support in the comments- it makes my day every time I get a comment :). Finals are next week for me, and of course, I'm writing this instead of studying, but whatever... It turns out I got a perfect(sorta, his grading system is weird) on my Jane Eyre essay, so I'm really happy about that! Hopefully, 2020 looks up in terms of the political scene in the next week, and I hope you all have wonderful days :)


	17. 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real final battle begins, and we see Marinette's plan enacted...

**Warning: attempted suicide+suicidal thoughts+torture.**

“Why weren’t you there, LB?” was the first thing she heard when she landed on the Eiffel Tower. 

She sighed and padded over to him, taking a seat. “This morning or before?”

“Both.”

“This morning, I was using Trixx to rescue Marinette and take her somewhere safe. Before…” She sighed, trying hard to come up with a suitable lie. “I was trying to find her. I was on a secret recon mission, and it failed. I’m sorry. I should’ve told you.”

He sighed. “What’s the plan then?”

Ladybug nodded. This was her territory. “Alright, luckily for us, Marinettey found out who Hawkmoth is. We’re going to his residence, Trixx is doing some brief recon, and then we’re both going in and positioning ourselves, silently, based on what she tells us. On your count, we’ll jump down and attack.”

Chat had other questions, but they left him at those last words. “On my count?” 

Ladybug had ulterior motives for this, but she meant it. “Yeah, Chaton. I trust you.” 

He nodded. “Alright, where are we headed?”

At this, Ladybug let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t… the Agreste mansion. I…” She looked miserable, and Chat didn’t know why, but hearing it felt like a punch in the gut. 

Setting his jaw, he responded. “Let’s go.”

He was going to rip his throat out.

* * *

They camped on the roof of the residence. Sending Trixx down for recon, the two heroes were silent, surrounded by their own thoughts. 

“It really ends tonight, doesn’t it?” Chat finally spoke up, and Ladybug was grateful for it.

“Yeah. It does.”

“M’lady- does that mean we give up our miraculous too?”

Ladybug shook her head rapidly at first, making herself dizzy. Yeah, she definitely had a concussion.

“No, Chaton- of course not. I have the miracle box, remember? Plus even if it did, we wouldn’t be over. Our… y’know.”

He did know, apparently, and he nodded. They lapsed into silence again.

“Ladybug… do you know if Hawkmoth- if Gabriel- if he did anything more than sik an akuma on her? She wouldn’t tell me, and probably because she doesn’t want me to worry, but… she looked too unwell for just that, and I…” 

Ladybug fidgeted uncomfortably before answering. “I… don’t know of anything else that happened, but we didn’t talk for long. I think… if she didn’t tell you, she had a reason, right?”

At that moment, Trixx zoomed up through the roof, and Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s all good! I’ve figured it out. Who’s going first?”

Ladybug answered immediately. “I will!” Her hurriedness earned her a side glance from Chat, which she ignored. 

“Okay, well, we’ll go in through Adrien’s room since he isn’t there right now, and then you’ll just follow me, alright?” 

Ladybug nodded. “It’s good he’s out of there, but remind me, Chat, to check on that later, okay?” She then ran after Trixx, pausing when they were at the opposite side of the roof that they needed to be on. 

“Wait- Trixx! There’s been a change in plans, okay?” She hurriedly explained what she needed while Trixx grew more and more concerned. 

“Ladybug- are you sure? This is very dangerous, and I’m sure there are other ways-”

“There aren’t- we learned that earlier today. He won’t ever let a superhero close enough to his miraculous to get it from him, so…” she smiled grimly.

“Alright, I guess. Whatever you say. Let’s do this.”

Ladybug followed Trixx into Adrien’s bedroom, and with one, pitying glance around(when she returned, this poor boy would be fatherless), she moved on, carefully stalking down the quiet and lonely hallways of the mansion. Finally, they reached the portrait of Emilie, and after Trixx checked again to confirm that M. Agreste was out of costume and out of his lair, and Ladybug began to feel the portrait for the secret buttons that Trixx had mentioned. 

Trixx came back up, and Ladybug found the buttons, pressing gently. The ground beneath her gave a start before sinking slowly, and Ladybug sunk with it, collecting her bearings as she reentered the lair that she hated so vehemently. 

She stepped off the platform to face her illusion, perfectly still and silent. She hesitated. She didn’t want to leave Chat virtually alone on the battlefield, but… 

No. She had to. She called her detransformation phrase, and, now wearing her bloodied PJs, she looked nearly identical to the Marinette on the chair. 

“Call off the illusion, Trixx.” He did, but the worried look in his violet eyes stayed, and Marinette winced. She sat down, and instructed the kwamis to tie her legs. She looped the rope loosely around her own hands.

“Okay. I’m good. Now, call up the Ladybug illusion and fetch Chat.” 

Trixx left her, and Tikki nestled in her hair, helping her ratty up the pigtails. The butterflies came to her immediately, settling over her like a blanket. She whispered to them as she waited, reassuring them. The sound helped, she thought, because the silence was far too suffocating. The weight of her injuries settled on her, but she didn’t let herself discourage as she waited. There was no turning back, was there?

Chat had paced the rooftop anxiously, and when he was finally retrieved by Trixx, he moved quickly and stealthily. He didn’t like the idea of Ladybug being alone in Hawkmoth’s lair, and-

Chat froze as Trixx led him to the painting of his mother, a memory washing over him. As he paused, Trixx grew impatient, flitting around insistently, but she stopped as he dug his claws behind the painting and opened it to reveal the safe. 

“Trixx,” He whispered, closing his eyes with dread, “open it for me.” Trixx nodded, albeit bewildered, and with a whirr and a click, it popped open, revealing-

“Duusu!” Trixx’s shocked voice broke the quiet, and he darted forward, grabbing the peacock miraculous. “Chat- this is- this is the miraculous of the peacock, can you-?” 

Chat pocketed it silently, cutting Trixx off as he closed the safe and the portrait. 

“Let’s go, Trixx.”

“Alright, you’ve made it- now up to the rafters you go!”

Marinette had hoped he’d immediately take his place in the rafters without investigating the lair. Something seemed to have caught his eye, however, and he walked past her. She couldn’t see him as he let out a quiet, pained gasp. 

“She lied to me, I think- Ladybug, look- look at all this _ blood _-” Marinette’s eyes widened, and Trixx maneuvered the illusion to join him on the floor. Tikki followed, staying hidden behind him, before darting back to Marinette and scolding her rapidly. 

Marinette had the feeling that the conversation would’ve continued if the elevator hadn’t whirred again, and both Chat and the illusion darted up into the rafters. When Hawkmoth is revealed in all his purple glory, Chat had to remind himself to breathe deep breaths, that he’s in charge of the count off. 

“Well, look here. The butterflies are settling on you now, huh? What a change.” He swatted at them, and they flew away frantically, revealing a pale and sallow Marinette. “You awake yet? No? Well, maybe I should-” Hawkmoth drew his saber, and while Chat knew that it was an illusion down there, something felt _ off _, with the butterflies and… Well, he didn’t know, but he had to do something, so he counted down, launching him and Ladybug into the fray. 

Hawkmoth let out a violent, high pitched yelp, but was in a fighting position in no time. Chat was aggressive, vaulting and jumping and making jabs with his staff, leaving the supervillain little room to breathe. Hissing, Hakwmoth stumbled to a corner, buying himself enough time to create an akuma send it out the window. The Ladybug illusion’s yoyo darted out, but it was too late, and with a skillful jab with Hawkmoth’s saber, Trixx altered the illusion to make it look like she had been hit, and Ladybug fell, knocked out of battle. 

Chat hissed ferally. He pounced on Hawkmoth, and they tumbled, but he slid away, coming to standing again. “Why the _ hell _, Gabriel,” he spat, glancing over at Ladybug, who was working to recover, “Did you do this? Terrorize a city? Kidnap an innocent girl?” 

Hawkmoth didn’t answer, as the akuma(Lila? Again? Jesus christ…) burst through the butterfly window. She was the same form as last time, looking like an overgrown spider-crab with a human upper half. Her hair, now matching Hawkmoth’s color scheme, was a peacock blue fading into white, and her eyes were blood red. Her chest was emblazoned with a distorted version of Marinette’s flower pattern, and she snarled, advancing quickly. Ladybug was up again and her yoyo darted out, forcing the akuma to dodge and head straight for Chat. Seizing his opportunity, Hawkmoth grabbed Marinette’s chair and dragged it to the elevator, frantically hitting buttons to speed up its descent. Seeing this, Chat called out to Ladybug and, seeing that she was following fine, pounced. It was too late, however, as the floor closed up behind him. Chat cursed. 

“Um, keep fighting the akuma, I’ll figure it out for you!” She phased through the floor, and was back in a few seconds. “Okay, I’ve been told to tell you to ask the butterflies.”

Chat, who was now landing hits at the akuma with his baton, froze. “What?!”

“Ask the butterflies! Seriously! And, um- maybe tell them that you’re a friend of Marinette’s first, cause otherwise…” 

Chat hissed as he was tossed across the room by the akuma, but he was up again in an instant, and Trixx realized that the battle with this akuma was coming to a close. Quickly, he forced the Ladybug illusion to complete some jumps and flips around the akuma, and then he darted back down, calling for Tikki. By the time she had phased back through the floor, Tikki hidden behind her, Chat had broken the akumatized item, and Trixx manipulated the yoyo to look like it was purifying the akuma while Tikki shot out and ate it.

“Okay, what did you say about butterflies?” Chat asked, completely ignoring Lila. 

“Ask them what to do for the buttons and stuff. They’ll help you.”

“Okay. Ladybug, can you tie her up? I think she should be reported to the authorities.” Chat spat the words out in Lila’s direction, and she glared back. 

“Aw, what would Chat Noir do if he knew what I did to her while she was kept here, hmm?” She taunted, playing with her hair. 

Trixx bared his teeth. “Don’t listen to her, Chat- I’ll tie her, so Ladybug doesn’t have to use her yoyo. You go on.”

Lila called out as the kwami approached her, created a wall of unbreakable illusions around her. “You know, I don’t remember much, but I do remember breaking a rib or two, and the satisfying crack of her nose? You couldn’t imagine the blood…” 

Chat hissed, but Trixx knew he had to do other things, so he forced Ladybug to stumble and he created a blossoming of crimson on her costume. Chat ran over to her, but she waved away his help, and stood up. 

He helped her as they approached the concealed platform. “Hey, butterflies, we could use your help… we don’t know what to push to get to Marinette- we need to save her, please-”

The butterflies fluttered over, almost crowding the two heroes as a few flew forward to concealed buttons and landed gently on three of them. Glancing towards Ladybug, who stepped on the platform, he pushed the buttons, and they descended. Chat’s tail flicked, and he crouched. 

The doors to the elevator opened and Chat darted out, only to be stopped short by Hawkmoth’s resounding voice.

“Wait. If you take one more step, she goes over.” Marinette’s chair was held teetering over the edge of the walkway, one moment away from falling, helpless, into an abyss. 

Chat knew it was an illusion, he _ knew _ it, but something in his gut told him to stay still. Something about the butterflies, about Ladybug’s silence, about her current hesitance… 

“You want to know why I’m doing this, so-called heroes of Paris? She’s over there- do you see her? If not, you can get a closer look after I take your miraculous. My wife- my son’s mother- is over there, dead to the world. I’m doing this for her, you see.”

Chat gasped, quietly, and he couldn’t help the small exclamation of “Mama?” as he caught a glimpse of her familiar outfit, the shine of her hair. He had guessed, in the back of his head, that it had to do with his mother, but seeing her was just a little too much, and he felt his throat swell and tears rose to his eyes. If he could wish his Mama back, maybe...

“Chat Noir, you love this girl here, don’t you? Wouldn’t you do anything to bring her back from near death?” Chat look up, and was met with his father’s eyes, but cold, and crazed, and Chat didn’t feel any empathy for the degraded man in front of him. 

He straightened and shook his head. “I love her, and I’d do anything in my mortal power to bring her back, but this is reaching into the power of the gods, Hawkmoth. I love her because she’d never want me to destroy a city for her, among other things. I’m sorry you lost her, Hawkmoth, but my purrincess’s heart is too kind to let me hurt one soul in her honor.” 

Hawkmoth snarled slightly. “So, you won’t give me your miraculous? That’s fine. I’ll just take your love from you too.” He tipped the chair further, grinning maniacally. “Y’know, she’s awake now. I made sure of that. A few hard jabs to the ribs, a few slashes with my saber…” He raised his saber, showing the blood marring the silver, and Chat gulped. He knew it was just Trixx, it _ had _to be, but it looked so real… 

Hawkmoth raised his hand to her face, stroking it down the side. Marinette recoiled, but he held firm, pushing his hand almost painfully into her cheek. 

At that moment, Chat realized what the strange feeling in his stomach was. Nothing should’ve been able to touch the illusion- not the butterflies, and certainly not his father at this moment. That meant that either everything that had touched her was part of the illusion, or…

She wasn’t an illusion at all. 

“Pity, you were such a talented designer…” He sighed, faking melancholy. “Ah well.” 

Marinette smirked, and her hand shot out, grasping the brooch off his chest and yanking, forcing his transformation undone. Hawkmoth screeched, and in a fit of fury, he pushed her off the edge, sending the chair tumbling. 

And Marinette fell. 

Chat screamed. He wasn’t in control of his body when he vaulted himself off the edge, very well aware that his method of catching himself was faulty at best, and the ground was rushing towards him, but Marinette…

Marinette was… calm. The world around her was quiet, and she’d already written all her letters, so she didn’t have much to worry about, did she? 

Beside her, Tikki was begging her to transform. The ground was rushing at her quickly. But was that really so bad?

* * *

Chat wasn’t going to catch up. There was no way he could catch her, he realized, as she hurtled to the ground. If he had Ladybug’s miraculous, he could use the yoyo to catch her and then catch himself on a beam, but he didn’t. He was too far away, and she was too close to the floor...

The screaming, he realized, was coming from him. Marinette was silent. 

* * *

No one was going to come and save her, of course. The Ladybug above was an illusion, and Hawkmoth’s akuma had been destroyed when she stole the brooch, and Chat Noir had no clue she was very real and very close to death.

_ Chat Noir. _Kitty. Her kitty, her Chaton, her minou… the thought of his green eyes shook her out of her stupor and she cursed, calling out her transformation phrase. As soon as her waist was covered with the elastic fabric, she grabbed her yoyo, looping around a beam and halting her descent. She finished her transformation, out of breath and terrified for herself as she hung. 

Chat saw her transform, and his eyes didn’t believe it, but there she was, and it made _ so much sense _. His heart had been so near stopping that it was jarring to stick the pole down and force himself to move away- she wouldn’t want him to know her identity, not yet. A few pole vaults away and he realized he was crying: hot, heavy tears that he hastily swiped away. 

He had finally reached the height of the platform, where Gabriel Agreste was struggling to his feet. Chat tackled him to the ground, fury burning in his eyes.

He braced his staff against the older man’s chest, pinning him down. “You _ asshole _,” he hissed, spitting on him. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t cataclysm you right now, Gabriel Agreste. One reason.” 

His father- Jesus Christ, his father did this- widened his eyes, before frantically shaking his head. “No! I have- I have a son, I did this all for him- he hasn’t been the same since she… if you’d just give me your miraculous, I could reset the timeline…”

Chat snarled. “You tried to kill her- you tortured her- no, Hawkmoth. You’re a monster.” 

Ladybug had swung up at this point, and she was padding up to Chat gently as he began to call up his Cataclysm. She gently whispered his name, and he paused, as her voice, her sweet, soft, gentle, kind voice, reached for him. 

He lowered his hand. He didn’t want his Marinette to see him this angry. Just as quickly, however, he raised it again, giving Gabriel Agreste a hard punch to the jaw. He groaned loudly, but Chat yanked him to his feet, pulling his arms roughly behind his back. 

His lady walked up to Gabriel, who was scowling at her, before cocking her fist back and punching him in the nose. Ladybug lifted her hand to her own nose, which throbbed dully from Lila’s abuse. _ Payback. _

“I called the police. They’re on their way- if we don’t want to get caught in hours of interrogations, we might want to get going.” She called up her lucky charm, pulling out a loop of rope and making to tie Gabriel up. “Take his miraculous- Marinette gave it to me. She’s waiting down there.”

Chat nodded, ignoring her lie and giving his father one last disgusted glance before turning back to her. “You finish up with him and go over to the elevator, okay? I’ll catch up.” 

She nodded, perplexed, but didn’t question him as he turned around towards the center platform. He peered into the coffin resting there, letting out a pained gasp when he saw his mother resting so peacefully there. He put his palm flat against the glass and rested his forehead there as well, closing his eyes. 

“Bye, Mama. Goodbye.” After finally being able to say his final farewells, he turned away and ran towards his lady. 

She was waiting for him, as promised, and he stepped on the platform with her as she pressed the buttons. The tube closed around them and they began to rise. 

The wounds from the past week started to throb. Without the adrenaline to keep her going, Ladybug realized, she had nothing to protect her against the immense pain she was in. She clutched her sides, doubling over. She could practically _ feel _ the blood leaking out of the twin lacerations of her torso she got when Hawkmoth had tried to “wake” her up, and she let out an incorherent cry as Chat tried to rush forward and help her. 

She slumped, and Chat gasped, trying everything to wake up the girl he loved. The elevator was moving too slowly, and she wasn’t moving at all, and Chat couldn’t breathe as everything moved too slowly and his Lady was dying right in front of him.

Finally, _ finally, _ the doors of the elevator opened. He gently lifted Ladybug into his arms, carrying her bridal style, before taking off in a run. As soon as he was out of the mansion, he vaulted out, towards Marinette’s house. Her house was on the way to the hospital, her parents deserved to know, he had to keep moving-

He landed heavily on the balcony, and the trapdoor slammed open before he reached it. He was greeted by Tom and Sabine’s terrified faces. 

“Where- where is she- Chat, please-”

“I have her- we’ve got to go, _ now-” _

All breath left the Dupain-Cheng’s lungs when they saw their lifeless daughter in Chat’s arms. Her transformation timed out at that moment, and Marinette, instead of Ladybug, was left there, bleeding out rapidly. 

“Mon Dieu…”

“I’m taking her to the hospital- meet us there!” Chat was off immediately after, running as if his life depended on it- and it did, really, because she was his life and his love and he had nothing without her and-

He landed in the hospital doorway without breaking his stride as he ran in, calling out her name and the emergency to anyone who would listen. It wasn’t long before a stretcher appeared and Marinette was lifted from his arms and rushed off in the other direction. He chased after her, but a hoard of nurses stopped him, and he watched as she was pulled away from him… 

He let out a breath and looked down at his hands. They were drenched in blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry it took me so long to post this one- I felt like it really needed to be perfect, and I also just finished finals. I have another chapter almost done, so get ready and enjoy!


	18. 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is in the hospital and uh... stuff gets real

Chat left the hospital, but he didn’t go far. He found himself pacing the hospital rooftop, and he watched as the Dupain-Cheng’s pulled up in their little car, stumbling out of it and into the hospital. He could hear them frantically asking for Marinette, only to be turned away by stern by sympathetic nurses. 

“What about Chat? Where is he? How- how is he doing?” His cat ears turned to the sound of Sabine’s voice, and he considered going down to meet them. 

“We… had to hold him back. He’s gone, now, and we don’t know where he went. I’m sorry.”

He let the murmur of the people below fall out of focus as he began to pace again, following a steady rhythm. _ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, pivot, one, two, three, four… _

He couldn’t go down there, he knew that. He couldn’t possibly intrude on the Dupain-Chengs when he had just possibly killed their daughter- _ oh god _, he wanted to throw up. He hadn’t saved her well enough, and now she was in the hospital, bleeding out… 

Chat had to stop pacing to tug on his hair before beginning again, always keeping the steady, repetitive rhythm. It was his only anchor, now, he supposed, as his Marinette- his lady- his love was down there, in a hospital bed or worse, bleeding and scared and alone, and his father had done it to her. He had nothing certain but that eight-step rhythm, and he clung to it like a lifeline, pacing so quickly and so desperately that he doesn’t notice the tears trailing off his face, dripping into the small rocks paving the roof of the hospital.

It was a long time- far too long- before Chat’s legs gave out, and he collapsed in the dirt. He was shaking and crying, and he was in no state to wield the powers of destruction, so he forced himself to detransform. Plagg floated up to his face silently before cuddling in the crook of his neck, offering quiet support for the boy as he worked through his emotions. 

“Plagg- I can’t- she’s- _ Plagg- _ ” Adrien choked the words out, and he started tugging at his hair frantically. Plagg flew up to his chosen’s head, loosening Adrien’s hands and kneading at Adrien’s head himself, lost in his own head. In truth, he knew what Adrien felt, he thought. He’d lost holders- more times than he wanted to think about- and he loved every one of them dearly, though he had a peculiar way of showing it. Plagg _ knew _ how badly his holder was suffering, and he didn’t know how to help- Tikki would be better at this, but Tikki-

His heart lurched when he thought of poor Tikki, probably trying to hide in the hospital rooms while staying with Marinette, all alone and scared… He’d been trying to tamp down her side of the emotions he was feeling, because he knew what it would be like and even a taste of them was _ just too much. _ Plagg needed to go find Tikki, to go comfort her, he couldn’t bear to be apart from her when her ache in her soul was tearing him apart like this, but-

Adrien’s ragged breaths drew him back to reality. Plagg cursed inwardly for forgetting his Chat- he couldn’t leave him, not even if it meant helping Tikki. Adrien needed him, and… Tikki could handle herself. They’d have another time to heal. Adrien wouldn’t. 

Plagg floated down to Adrien’s face, gently taking his cheek in his paw. “Adrien- kid- I’m sorry. This isn’t- It’s not- It’s not right, you shouldn’t have to deal with this, but it’s happened, so…” He took a deep breath, starting over. “Kid. You know- it’s not your fault, you know that, right?”

He groaned miserably. “It is- I didn’t know- I couldn’t save her- I-”

“No, Kid, listen. She didn’t tell you- she worked hard so that you wouldn’t know. She knew how dangerous it would be, and she still did it. That’s not your fault, Adrien, and you can’t blame yourself for that, you hear me?”

“No, I should’ve-”

“No, Adrien. Please, kid- you’ll hear it from me and you’ll hear it from everyone else. Now, you can’t be up here on the roof all alone, alright? Go in there. They’ll be happy to see you- either side of you. Go. I’m serious.”

Adrien obeyed, but more out of a lack of energy to argue. “Can you… transform again, Plagg? I just need to get down, but I don’t have any camembert with me…” Searching around his pockets, he pulled out the macaroon Marinette had given him. It was pastel pink, and it reminded Plagg of the sweets Tikki liked to eat. “All I have is this… Sorry, Plagg.”

He darted out, grabbing the macaroon. “I can… I’ll take it, if that’s alright with you.” 

Adrien raised his eyebrows, but he nodded, too exhausted to question his aggravating and confusing kwami’s logic. He transformed and jumped down to ground level before calling off his transformation. He felt like his suit was still covered in blood, even though he knew that his suit regenerated each time. Even detransformed, he scratched at his skin, itching to fix his mistakes. 

At Plagg’s encouragement, he stumbled inside, somehow making his way to the waiting room. There, he found a heavily disheveled Sabine rubbing a sobbing Tom’s back. 

“Adrien? Adrien, dear, what- how- come sit down.” Adrien had little will to do anything else, quickly finding himself lowered into a cushy, barf-colored waiting room chair. 

“Adrien, um.” Sabine shot a glance towards Tom, who was still inconsolable, and sighed. “Okay, are you- are you alright? Tell us what happened, sweetheart.”

Adrien shook his head, unable to speak, and quickly began to pull at his hair. Sabine’s eyes widened before she quickly worked to loosen his firm grip on his hair. Once she’d succeeded, she opted to continue gripping his hands as she kneeled down. 

“Okay, Adrien- shhhh, It’s alright, dear. Can I give you a hug?” She was attempting a gentler approach, it seemed, and Adrien nodded as he was engulfed in a warm, tight hug. He buried his face in Sabine’s shoulder, and he realized with a start that she smelled like the bakery, and of course she did, but that’s what _ Marinette _ smelled like, and when the tears started into the blouse Sabine had worn to work that day, he was powerless to stop them.

She didn’t seem to mind, at least, as he gripped her shirt and sobbed, sniffling into her shoulder. She took the time to rub soothing circles onto his back, giving him a motherly hug he hadn’t received since his mother… Disappeared? Died? He wasn’t sure anymore. 

Once his sniffles had stopped and his breathing had slowed, Sabine released him. He felt like a child, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

“Adrien, can I ask you a question now or do you want to wait?” He wiped his tears and nodded.

“Is this about… your father?” 

His father. His father did all of this- his father was the one to terrorize the city of Paris for years, his father was the one to kidnap and _ torture _ Marinette, his father was the one to put Marinette in the hospital, and _ his father _ was the reason Marinette’s family was anxiously sitting in the hospital’s waiting room. 

His sharp intake of breath must have set Sabine off, as she grabbed his hands again to stop him from making a go at his hair. He managed a nod, and then a frantic head shake, but Sabine seemed to understand. 

“Alright. How… How did you know where we were?” When he tensed up, she quickly went to assure him. “We’re not mad, Adrien. We’re glad that you’re here, dear.”

Adrien took a deep breath as he glanced around the waiting room. He was planning on saying Alya had told him, but she wasn’t here either, so he was forced to create a lie on the spot. 

“I… Saw Chat Noir. He- he told me. Marinette...” Sabine’s expression shifted from concerned to even more so, if possible, and he looked away. 

“That poor boy… He must be so torn up. I wish…” She fretted for a second, before swallowing and turning back to the blonde in front of her. “Have you eaten, Adrien? Come on, Tom and I haven’t, and I bet you haven’t either, and I can’t get Tom to come with me,” She cast a forlorn glance Tom’s way, “So will you? Please?” 

Adrien nodded, and Sabine smiled softly before helping him up from the chair and ushering him to the cafeteria. Her daughter would pull through, she was sure of it. The real question was if everyone else would.

* * *

The news of Hawkmoth’s capture was broadcast through Paris, and the heroes were nowhere to be spotted. No one realized that they were both in the same hospital, one being frantically revived from the brink of death and the other anxiously awaiting her news. 

When her laundry list of injuries was revealed, the original three were the only ones there. They learned she had three fractured ribs, with others bruised; a broken nose; twin lacerations on either side of her torso, roughly 6 inches long and half an inch deep, running from 5 inches below her shoulder blade to two inches off her belly button; a cut on her left arm, half an inch deep and three inches long, which had gotten infected; a dislocated shoulder; bruises running up and down the length of her body; and, finally, some unidentifiable brain trauma.

“Due to the extent of her injuries and the amount of blood loss,” the doctor continued, pity and horror clear on her face, “She’s… in a medically induced coma. It’s partially because of the trauma to her skull and partially because of the lack of organization to her brain.”

The doctor never said anything about it being up to Marinette now, like they always said in the movies, but it was written on her face, and Adrien… Normally, he’d like those odds- Marinette was a fighter, through and through, and he didn’t think now would be the exception, but… He saw her wait until the last second to transform, as if she was considering letting herself fall. He saw that, and now he couldn’t be so sure.

He shuddered at the memory, and pleaded with all his might that she’d wake up.

* * *

She didn’t. She didn’t wake up when Alya stumbled in, sobbing, followed by a concerned Nino, who almost broke down at the sight of Adrien, slumped in a chair. He’d been missing for 24 hours. _ Had it really been that long? _

She didn’t wake up when the police found out where Adrien was(they were looking for him?) and tried to extract him from the hospital. _ For interrogations, _ they had said. _ We can’t convict Hawkmoth if we don’t know who he’s working with. _ Sabine shook her head, guarding Adrien from their accusatory eyes. _ You can’t convict him until Ladybug and Chat Noir show up again, can you? _ The police officers had sputtered. _ You won’t be taking Adrien. _ A staring match ensued then, and Tom stood up for the first time since entering the hospital and stood in front of Adrien, repeating his wife’s sentiment. The police officer grumbled, before radioing something in. They left, escorted out by the hospital staff, not without complaints. Adrien remembers none of it. 

Marinette still didn’t wake up. 

She didn’t wake up when Trixx, exhausted from overuse of his raw power, flew in, slumping on Adrien’s knee before he was ushered out of sight. Adrien had to leave the room to explain to the tiny god that Marinette was still fighting even though the battle was over. 

She didn’t wake up when the doors to her hospital room were opened, and Adrien and her family rushed in to see her frail, limp form. She didn’t wake up when visiting hours were over, and night had fallen, and Chat snuck in through her window to sit by her bed and hold her hand. She didn’t wake up when Adrien did in an uncomfortable hospital chair, having fallen asleep after keeping himself awake all night with her.

She didn’t wake up. 

* * *

Alya found herself waking up in the waiting room more often than she wanted to admit, because while she was going home every night, unlike Adrien, she didn’t sleep. She couldn’t, not when he best friend might never wake up, and-

Her phone buzzed. Goddamn, hadn’t she already turned off all her notifications already? 

Picking it up, she winced at the eight missed calls from each family member and the 35 texts she had received. She ignored them guiltily, checking the notification that had interrupted her thinking. 

_ Ladyblog: Newsource or Tabloid? _

_ As Teenage Blogger Posts sensational stories, _

_ what of her’s is really to be trusted? _

Alya growled, slamming her phone down on the chair beside her. When she had taken down Lila’s video and published an apology, she had expected the cruel comments and hatred, and she had certainly gotten them. Her blog was in shambles, but she knew she deserved those comments for ignoring her best friend as she did. 

She didn’t think it could get worse when she had posted the fake videos of Ladybug and Chat Noir fighting the final battle in random spots around Paris, drawing the crowds away from the real battle. 

Now, though, people were slowly starting to work out the mess that she had created, and when they realized Alya’s part in the confusion, they were absolutely virulent. No one understood that she did it to protect her best friend, and while she still deserved the hate for what she did to her with Lila, she didn’t know if she could handle it as she stared at the door of her best friend’s room from the waiting room. 

“Alya, come on. You know Marinette would want you in there.” Nino spoke softly, and she felt her tense shoulders relax even as she shook her head. 

“I- I can’t, Nino- she wouldn’t, I…” She steeled, staring at the door with a newfound resolve. “We’re not talking about this anymore.”

Nino looked at his girlfriend, cheeks streaked with tears but eyes burning with a firmness he couldn’t compete with. 

“Alright, Al.” 

* * *

Nino adjusted his cap, for probably the eighth time in the past five minutes. He absentmindedly rubbed Alya’s back as he stared at Marinette’s door. He’d been in there before, when Sabine had come out to try to coerce Alya to join them in her room, and he didn’t entirely care to go back- seeing her so sickly and pale and small took him back to kindergarten, when she was too tiny to stand up to the class bullies and found herself pushed in the mud by one of the older boys on the playground. Rose, if he remembered correctly, had been forced off the swing by them, and she had the temper and the fire to yell back at them. Her new outfit for school was ruined, and Nino had found her crying behind the slides, small and frail and helpless, just as she was now. Nino had helped her up, dried her tears, and when she had tentatively offered him a macaroon from her lunchbox, they were friends. 

It brought him back to the time in third grade, when Chloe had turned from a sweet, loud girl to someone who lashed out to protect herself. Marinette had walked into the classroom, taking her seat at the table with Nino and Chloe, cheerfully handing them each a croissant from the bakery. 

Chloe had hissed, still reeling from the fight her parents had had that morning, and spat out, “I don’t want your stupid croissant, Ma-Mari-Mari_ brat!” _

Nino remembers how her eyes had widened in shock and how she had hastily blinked back the tears forming. “Chloe, that- that isn’t very nice- are you okay? Here,” She had said, sliding the croissant to her former friend, “It’s my daddy’s special recipe.” Chloe had picked it up, and Marinette’s eye lit up until she dropped it on the ground, crunching it beneath her heel. 

Nino found her sniffling by the water fountains that day, looking like her world was crushed under Chloe’s heel instead of just a croissant. 

It brought him back to fourth grade, when Nino was caught between a rock and a hard place, a hard place being a wall and a rock being a big kid’s fist. Marinette had come running, sketchbook in hand, and, even if they weren’t that close anymore, had told them off immediately, her small stature hiding behind her big personality. 

… mostly. The taunts had switched to her, then, as the boys asked what a small girl would do to guys like them, and why she was standing up for a dumb nerd like Nino. Didn’t she know that he had cooties?

Marinette had growled at that. “Nino doesn’t have cooties, and I hate liars. Come on, Nino.” He had darted away from the boys, following her, but one of the thugs grabbed her sketchbook out of her hand, holding it high above their heads. They taunted her as she jumped for it and Nino watched, wincing as they threw it into a mud puddle at the edge of the schoolyard. He only approached her after the boys left and she picked up the remains of her tattered, ruined sketchbook. She gently set it to the side as he approached, and she wiped her eyes, leaving muddy streaks across her face as she tried not to cry. 

“Go… go hang out with your other friends- Ivan, and Kim, and- you can go, Nino.” 

And he did, leaving her to weep over the remains of her new sketchbook alone. 

Seeing her in that hospital bed brought him back to every time he had failed her, every time she had to stand up for herself, and him too, because he didn’t. He’d failed- time and time again- while Marinette had been bullied by Chloe and had been alone the entire time. He’d abandoned her, true to character, with Lila as well, and now Marinette was paying for it. He shuddered, tamping down nausea. 

He had a lot to repent for, that was for sure. 

* * *

Tom… wasn’t doing so well. He had spent every visiting hour in Marinette’s room, listening to the beeping machines that were keeping his daughter alive, and while he was at least talking now, he couldn’t help the massive weight on his chest. His sweet, sweet daughter… 

How could he not see it? Worse- how could he have not protected her?

Every single day, his daughter had been out there, defending the city, and he- he choked back a sob, because he hadn’t been there to protect her, as a parent should. He’d sworn when she was born- in a hospital room, not too far off from this one- that he’d protect her, forever and always, and while he was holding her in that pink blanket that contrasted so starkly to her curious bluebell eyes, he couldn’t imagine it would be that hard, but… he’d really messed up, hadn’t he? 

He… he’d sworn to protect her, sure, but he’d broken that early on, when sabine held him back while she was taking her first steps and she stumbled, fell, and- or, no, maybe it was earlier than that, when he hadn’t fixed the baby formula correctly and she’d thrown up, or…

He couldn’t remember when the first time he messed up was, but was worse was that he didn’t know when he’d entirely forgotten about the promise he’d made to her, to himself. He’d assured himself that she’d needed to find her own way, that she was doing _ great _on her own. 

He remembered when she came home with bright, shiny eyes and puffed, pink cheeks. “ ‘ts the cold, Papa,” she would say, forcing a bright smile if he asked, and soon he stopped asking, letting her just retreat to her room with no questions asked. _ She has friends _ , he had thought, naively. _ There were Nino and Chloe and a few more from her other classes- she had friends. She’s happy. _ Looking back, Tom didn’t know when Nino and Chloe stopped coming around the bakery to hang out with Marinette. He wasn’t sure when Chloe started to bully Marinette, and he didn’t know when her other classmate’s names stopped popping up in dinner time conversation. _ He didn’t know. _

And god, the new girl in Marinette’s class? The liar? He didn’t even know she existed until Marinette was expelled! He was supposed to be protecting her- calling the school, exposing both Chloe’s and Lila’s lies, but he had stood by and done nothing as his daughter had put on a brave face for school every day. 

He scoffed at himself, rubbing his hand through his mustache. To think he got akumatized to protect his daughter from men like Chat Noir breaking her heart, when, in fact-

_ Mon Dieu. _ He had been akumatized, and his Marinette was Ladybug, and he- he had forced her to fight him, albeit not for long, but still! He had physically put her in danger, and all she had to protect her were magic earrings- how bad of a parent was he?

And his daughter- Ladybug- just throwing herself into danger every day? He knew, logically, that he couldn’t have stopped it and shouldn’t have, but his teenage daughter spent her days and nights battling laser shooting, mid controlling cop villains with a freaking _ yoyo _. How was no one else freaking out about it- that a petit juvenile was what the city was relying on to fight some strange, elusive and extremely powerful supervillain? Hell, even he wasn’t really freaking out about it until he realized it was Marinette that-

Oh. _ Oh. _ He felt sick. Sure, he was realizing that the city shouldn’t rely on a teenager to save them now, but he had been perfectly content to cheer her on from the sidelines until now, watching the news stream and putting undue pressure on the small girl’s head. How horrible was he? If he wasn’t okay with his own daughter doing the job, letting herself be thrown around by massive, overgrown gorillas and giant loaves of bread then why was he okay with anyone else’s daughter being in that position? How had he let himself watch the news coverage of every attack and be _ okay _ with a small girl fighting the pigeon-wielder like it was nothing? And, goodness, he still wasn’t giving a second thought to Chat Noir, who was about his daughter’s age and was someone’s son, who could just as well be _ Adrien Agreste- _ wait. 

He sighed, fiddling with his mustache again. He had a lot to apologize for, if- _ when- _ his daughter woke up.

Sabine, watching her husband, sighed as well before taking a seat next to him. “Hey. She’s waking up.” She turned, and addressed the rest of the room, which was Adrien, curled up in a ball as close to Marinette as possible. “Let’s not be somber, okay? She wouldn’t want that, and if she’s waking up, she’s waking up to a party.”

* * *

Sabine… she could look around the room and see her husband falling into despair and Adrien looking empty, and she was so worried for her daughter it brought her to her knees, but she was also so proud of her. Her daughter was lying on the hospital bed in front of her and it _ hurt _, but even looking so small and defenseless, Sabine knew she got there by being strong, and fierce, and by being Marinette, and her Marinette was going to wake up, she knew it. 

It was… strange, to have it fully confirmed that her daughter was Ladybug. She had had her suspicions from the beginning, of course- a mother always recognizes her daughter- but the magic, she assumed, and probably Marinette’s inherent clumsiness, kept her from juxtaposing the girl flying over Paris on the daily with the girl who spilled milk and cereal and cocoa powder at breakfast. So, she had settled for not knowing- holding her breathe whenever the heroine took a particularly hard hit and not checking Marinette’s room during akuma attacks. Ignorance is bliss, and Sabine had to stay ignorant. 

And then Marinette had disappeared, and Sabine can’t help but wonder _ why- _ why, if she loved Chat Noir, couldn’t she have accepted his advances as Ladybug? Why couldn’t she have transformed and defended herself? Why couldn’t she have saved herself from Hawkmoth while there? 

It was settled, then. Her daughter wasn’t Ladybug, but just a missing, defenseless teenager that Hawkmoth decided to target. 

And then Ladybug disappeared, and her mind went back to work. Did she just… not save herself when she had the chance?

Sabine couldn’t decide which was worse. Being unable to save yourself at all or having the power to save yourself and refusing to?

Her confusion had just grown when Tikki showed up, because why in god’s name would a superhero trust a random girl with a box full of magical jewelry? Then again, maybe she wasn’t so random- Chat clearly loved her, and Ladybug must’ve known about it, and she didn’t doubt that if her daughter was close with one of the superheroes she wouldn’t find a way to be close with the other. Or… she was just Ladybug? Sabine had no clue, and she didn’t like it.

She got what she thought was her definitive answer when Ladybug appeared at the first final battle, because her daughter hadn’t escaped, and Alya said she had been hanging up there when Ladybug arrived, so… it wasn’t possible. There was no way. 

It was even further confirmed when Ladybug came to the bakery, because Marinette hadn’t escaped, so Ladybug wouldn’t be there if Marinette wasn’t. It was strange, too- from her time of believing Marinette was Ladybug, she was able to see the heroine as just a scared teenager with the weight of the city on her shoulders. Sabine noticed she babbled, like Marinette, and when she gave the poor teenager a hug, she noticed that she smelled like her lost daughter as well… _ stop that, Sabine. _ She had shaken her head, and when she offered the poor girl a macaroon for her and her kwami she had started so bad that she reminded her of Marinette again- but, no, she shook her head more forcefully this time. _ Stop projecting thoughts of Marinette onto this sweet girl who’s just trying to help _ . Sabine forced a smile and explained the kwami situation, and when she handed her a macaroon she couldn’t help but reach for Marinette’s favorite flavor. Flustered, she handed her the macaroon, only to find Ladybug backing out the door with cryptic advice. _ So odd. _

Looking back now, it all seemed like she was saying goodbye.

But that had always been her brave little girl- putting on a smile for the cameras while she was hurting. Sabine didn’t know how badly the Ladybug who had entered her bakery had been hurt, and frankly, she didn’t want to know, but she knew her daughter was the bravest out there. 

Sitting there, waiting for her to wake up, it was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I AM SO SORRY FOR THE HIATUS. I'm back now, hopefully, and I'm writing, I just hit a mental block and I've been immeasurably busy and I've had the worst week possible(not really, but, like... yeah). Hopefully, you guys are still interested. Have a great week, and as always, comments and kudos make my day!


	19. 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day at the hospital :(

That was only the first full day of the hospital.

By the time the nurse had come in, gently requesting that everyone vacate the room, people were in better spirits. There was soft music playing, from one of Marinette’s favorite Jagged CD’s, and Tom had become functional enough to hold short conversations, and short smiles flitted over everyone’s faces. Quietly, they said their adieus to the sleeping girl, promising to see her bright and early tomorrow. Then, the Dupain-Chengs promptly sat in the waiting chairs outside of her room. Adrien joined them hesitantly, as he had planned on sneaking back into the room come nightfall. He glanced at his watch, seeing it was still early.  _ Well, _ he sighed, _ nothing to do but wait. _ He hunched over in the uncomfortable chair, leaning his head on his hands. 

Sabine had been watching Adrien. She had been… a little shocked, to say the least, when he appeared in the waiting room for Marinette after his father had been revealed, and while Sabine had known that Marinette and Adrien were friends, and suspected that Adrien had a bit of a crush on her daughter, she didn’t think it was anything that would compare to the grief of his father being discovered as a supervillain. Plus, upon reading the letter her daughter had written her, she couldn’t help but notice Adrien’s similarities to the leather-clad hero- his hair, though worn slightly more disheveled, was the same, and his build hadn’t changed at all. She shook her head. Was it possible…? The boy in question glanced up, and she caught his eye, and while his sclera weren’t green, she would recognize that haunted look anywhere… She chastised herself again, looking away, but not before she spotted the chain of a necklace peeking out from under his shirt. Curiosity piqued, she kept her gaze stuck to the ground until she was sure the coast was clear, and then-

“Hey, son- where are you going? Adrien, listen, ah- we know you probably don’t really have anywhere to go tonight. If you want us to accompany you to our place, then we’d be happy to do that, and, uh…” Sabine had caught up her husband, who had caught the fleeing boy. 

“Oh, um. That’s not really necessary, thank you, though. Truly. I’ll be on my way now…”

Sabine shook her head. She knew where he was off to, or she thought she did, and if she was right then she wanted him to know that his secret was safe with them. Glancing over to her husband, she caught his hand, and, when he squeezed her hand, she wondered if he hadn’t come to some of the same conclusions himself.

“Adrien.” Her voice was soft and the poor boy’s head jerked to look at her, looking like a deer in the headlights. “It’s alright, dear. We know.”

“Know? About-about what?” His eyes, if they weren’t panicked before, were now, and Sabine moved to placate him. 

“No, shh, Adrien, it’s alright. We’re not going to tell anyone, and it’s not your fault- I recognized the necklace that you were wearing. Trixx, right?”

Trixx flew out, nuzzling up to Sabine’s face. “Hi there, Mme. Cheng! I’m so sorry about Marinette- it’s my fault- I-” Sabine shushed her, glancing over to Adrien, who looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

“Adrien, it’s alright- these are good folks, and they’ll let you go see Marinette now, okay? Nice to meet ‘ya, I’m Plagg. Thanks for taking care of my kid.” There was a little black being in Adrien’s hair now, and Sabine assumed it was his kwami. 

“Nice to meet you too, Plagg. Adrien, go ahead and go see Mari, okay? She misses you.” Sabine smiled softly at the boy, putting her hand on his shoulder. He sniffed and nodded, and Tom pulled him into a hug before releasing him. 

“Go on, son. Tell her we love her again for us, alright?” Tom and Sabine turned away, letting Adrien jog away and transform undisturbed. Silence passed between them as they walked back. 

“Well, you certainly took that we-”

“What the heckity heck were those flying things?”

“...nevermind.” 

* * *

Chat snuck through the hospital window, carefully slipping through the small space to avoid making any noise. Cautiously, he reached out for uninjured arm and took her hand, working to avoid the tubes and wires running to her body. Kwami, she looked so small, he-

He shook his head and rubbed the back of her hand with a clawed thumb. “Hey, Mari. I, uh. Wanted to talk to you, and I don’t know if you can hear me, but- hold on. Tikki?” 

There was no response from the room, and he glanced over to her ears to find them bare. Cursing, he stood sharply, trying to think about where some nurses might put a patient’s belongings. His eyes landed on a nightstand like structure, and he raced over, tearing open drawer after drawer until he found her earrings, loose and shoved to the back of the drawer. 

“Oh, Tikki…” he breathed, lifting the two earrings out of their wooden cage. Instantly, the tiny god materialized in a flash of light. 

“Marinette? Where’s Marinette? Chat- tell me, please, where is she- she’s alright, right?” She flew over to where Chat directed, and, Chat, still holding the earrings, retook his place at Marinette’s side. 

“Oh, Marinette…” The little god hovered over her face, putting a pink paw to her forehead as small tears dripped down her cheeks, and Chat reached out his hand to her. She settled in the palm of it, looking at him intensely. 

“Chat… can you put the earrings back on? I can maybe- I can help-” Chat wasted no time in securing her earrings, and Tikki sighed, nestling in the crook of Marinette’s neck. At her request, he quietly listed out Marinette’s injuries as she wept, placing her tiny paws on each one of them. 

When he finished, they both stayed silent for many minutes, before Tikki spoke up in barely a whisper. “The earrings… They should help. I should help- it’ll help her, she’ll get better, I promise, I-”

Chat blinked back tears, grabbing Marinette’s hand again. “I know, Tikki. She’s- She’s a fighter, she is.” 

Tikki nodded again and curled back up in Marinette’s hair. Trixx, who had been hiding before, not wanting to disrupt the moment, flew over as well, giving Tikki a hug and curling in Marinette’s other shoulder.

They stayed like that for the rest of the night. 

* * *

Marinette could hear the whispers, the tears. She could hear it all, but she was caught, lost. She was in a kaleidoscope of memories, constantly shifting and turning under her feet, and every time she reached out for one it would fall away from her into something else, and she’d tumble too, lost in the shifting and shimmering world of her thoughts. She stood on shuffling platforms of her Paris at night, the Eiffel tower, and the wind through her hair- she was staring at her mother’s smile, and then the smell of the bakery, and then she was embraced by her father before falling into Alya’s laughter, and as she stretched her arm to hold on to it, she tumbled into Chat Noir’s eyes,  _ oh _ , his eyes, and they were dancing, and they were kissing, and he was holding her, tightly, and then she was falling, tumbling and bleeding-

And then Tikki was kissing her to sleep, and she decided, as those around her begged her to wake up,  _ Not yet. Not just yet.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I know, I'm the worst at updating on time. I got a horrible case of writer's block and just... stopped. In recent news for me, I redyed my hair by myself yesterday(it's blue, green and purple now, though the purple didn't come through), my school is shut down indefinitely and I don't start e-learning for two weeks, and all restaurants around here are closed. Everything I do is closed and I may be slowly going insane... :)))  
That's good news for this story, however, as I'll actually be forcing myself to write. The next chapter is almost done, but your comments mean the world in terms of motivation and the retainment of my sanity. Love you all!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More hospital time...

**Warning: Mention of sucidal thoughts/feelings sorta. Figured I should put this here just in case :)**

By the time morning rolled around, Chat had reluctantly left, leaving the two kwamis behind, and had detransformed to reenter the hospital. The walk to the waiting room was enough to make him nervous; he couldn’t bear not knowing how she was in the time he was away from her. 

He picked up his pace. 

Nino jumped up when he entered the waiting room, looking equal parts irritated and relieved. 

“Bro, where did you go? I was worried about you!”

Adrien fumbled with his words and he came up with an excuse; luckily, Tom stepped in for him. 

“He went back to our place to spend the night and get some rest. We told you that, Nino.”

“Yeah, but why didn’t he have one of us come along? Or tell us beforehand? Everyone- and I mean everyone, the media, the police, the angry mobs- are out looking for him. It wasn’t safe!” 

Adrien looked at him sheepishly. “I- Uh, I’m sorry, Nino. I didn’t think it through. I just thought…” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He really hadn’t been thinking about how his friends would worry- he just needed to be with Marinette, to see her, to talk with her. 

Speaking of-

Marinette’s parents got up as visiting hours began, and Adrien followed suit. Nino glanced at Alya, who showed no signs of moving, before sighing and shaking his head, motioning for Adrien to go ahead without him. 

The kwami’s had darted out of sight when the doctors had come, of course, but they reappeared when they realized the room was filled with people they knew. 

It was silent, and terse, as Adrien stared at the two people who knew his secret. He gulped- he knew, of course, that they wouldn’t spread it to the world, but that also meant… 

They knew that Adrien was the kid who had been so brash at their first dinner together, back before Marinette’s father was akumatized. They knew that Chat Noir was the boy who needed their daughter to protect him from the paparazzi. They knew that Adrien was the boy who had been stealing their bakery leftovers, and they knew Chat Noir was the one who practically abandoned their daughter to a liar for months. They knew Adrien was the one who had come to her room every night, dancing with her and kissing her and hiding behind a mask, and they knew Chat Noir was the one who’s father was Hawkmoth. Worst of all, they knew he hadn’t been able to save Marinette, that he was the reason she was lying in this hospital bed, relying on machines to keep her breathing.

Adrien felt like he couldn’t breathe. 

Hesitantly, Sabine spoke up. “Adrien, we wanted to-”

“I’m sorry- I’m so sorry- I’ll just go, I understand, I-” He wasn’t moving, despite his words, and his shoulders shook with panic as he spoke. 

“No- No, son, no. Please, stay here. She would want you here, and, uh-” Tom moved his hand to the back of his neck sheepishly, “We do too. We owe you more than we can imagine. You’ve saved our daughter so many times, not to mention the rest of Paris, and we-” Tom was choked up, now, and he stopped speaking, wiping his eyes as his wife took over. 

“Adrien, dear, thank you, a hundred times over. Please, don’t feel guilty for any of this. We just…” She paused, glancing at her motionless daughter. “We want to know what happened. Her letter explained things vaguely and didn’t say anything about what happened after she wrote it, and we were just hoping…”

Adrien steeled himself. It was the least he could do for the Dupain-Chengs, after all they had done for him, after all he had done _ to _ them…

“What…” He cleared his throat, looking down at the floor, “What do you want to know?”

“When did you learn her identity?”

“Just- Just before I brought her to you and to the hospital. She doesn’t- she didn’t mean to reveal to me, and she doesn’t know I know, and-”

Tom glanced at Sabine, and they both got up, taking chairs next to Adrien. He breathed easier. 

“We’ll start, son. It’s alright. Breathe.” 

They explained the letters she had written, and how they had found them. They told him how she had written about vague details about what had happened to her in her containment with Hawkmoth, but it was nothing concrete enough for them to feel like they understood anything. They explained how Ladybug had visited the bakery before the battle, and how the letter had been written like a goodbye. They pulled out the letter, ran their fingers over the creased and teary paper and they looked at Adrien as if he might be able to answer all of their questions, heal all of their pains. 

He knew he couldn’t. 

But he needed to try, right?

He started at the first battle with Hawkmoth, where he didn’t know what was an illusion and what was real, where he closed his eyes and saw Marinette falling and tumbling from the sky. He told them about Ladybug pulling him back from chasing after Hawkmoth, how he fought and pulled against her yoyo until he was out of sight and he’d calmed down enough to listen to her explanation. He whispered, pitifully, that he hated her like never before at that moment, for taking him away from his love and his Marinette, from holding him back from her abuser. 

He didn’t know. 

He explained how he arrived at their house, entering through the trapdoor in a tumble of limbs, and how he had broken down when he had seen Marinette, clad in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, seemingly uninjured. He begged for forgiveness when he whispered how he held her, how he went and spoke to them and didn’t tell them that their daughter was just above them, that he was so scared to lose her that he let himself lie to his only family. 

He told them how looking back, he didn’t know what was real, and what was fake. 

He shuddered.

He whispered, softly, about how maybe he was scared he wouldn’t come back from the battle, and he would never see her again, and that’s why he didn’t leave her and lied. Even quieter, he thought that she knew that she wouldn’t be coming back to him. 

He didn’t tell them of her frantic love confessions, of the tears in her eyes as he kissed her. That was theirs, and theirs alone. 

Wiping his tears away, he moved on, telling them about Ladybug at the Eiffel Tower, her suppressed demeanor, her apologies, and his accusations. He told them how he heard the name “Agreste” and his vision reddened, how he sat on the roof of his home and realized that his love had been there the entire time, just below him. 

He told them that Ladybug never said goodbye, that Ladybug left first. 

He choked out words about the bloodied floors, and about how the real Marinette was blanketed in butterflies, the sweet, sweet butterflies sensing what he couldn’t, kissing her wounds, whispering goodbye. 

And, in a last, teary proclamation, he told them about the moment he realized, the glimmer in Marinette’s eyes as she teetered at the edge of the platform, her blood dripping from Hawkmoth’s rapier, how Hawkmoth stroked her face and suddenly Chat _ knew _, and how even her falling to her near-death was a goodbye. 

They were all crying by the time Adrien had finished, huddled in a tight circle around Marinette’s lifeless and decrepit form, interrupted only by the steady beeps of the monitors and machines. It ached, of course, and Adrien felt almost as if he were choking on the air he was breathing, but as he gasped through his tears he simultaneously felt one weight lift and another settle. The secrets he had been keeping had been building up, weighing him down, and he’d released them, finally. Wave after wave after wave of sweet release washed over him, rinsed him of the blood he’d been carrying since the fight, of every mistake he’d made in the suit. 

But as soon as it came, it was replaced with hurt, because none of that release woke her up, and none of it changed the fact that she had fallen and she hadn’t gotten back up yet. 

That she had _ let _herself fall and hadn’t gotten back up yet.

The sniffles from the three in the room subsided enough for Sabine to wipe her eyes and speak up, looking at her daughter forlornly. “Well, once again, this- we can’t have her wake up to us crying, now can we? Let’s- let’s put on some music or something, and, here, Adrien, you do need to eat- come on, guys.” 

Tom and Adrien glanced at each other, but followed Sabine’s lead, wiping their tears and eating whatever was fed to them. 

If anyone noticed that Sabine’s smile was a little too bright, then, well… No one mentioned it. 

* * *

Visiting hours ended all too soon, and the somewhat hopeful mood they had created crashed down upon them as they left the room single-file. Alya and Nino had fallen asleep in a way that Adrien was sure would give them pain later, and he winced. 

Sabine and Tom proceeded to the chairs, too, slumping down like their bones were made of lead, sighs escaping their tired lips. Adrien winced again. 

Tom caught sight of him now, and furrowed his brow. “Go on, son-” He gave Adrien a weak, tired smile, “Go make sure our daughter has company tonight.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. 

He waited outside her window until the nurse left for the night, and then counted to ten before slipping in and making his way to her bedside. He pulled up a chair, as the nurse who had been treating her had moved his from before, and sat down, taking her hand and pressing a gentle kiss to it. 

“Good evening, M’lady. Princess. My Marinette.” He gave a lopsided smile, before sighing. “We miss you over here, y’know.”

She didn’t stir. He didn’t expect her to. 

“I’ve… I’ve done a lot of thinking, Mari. And crying. And screaming. You get the gist.” He chuckled drily, before clearing his throat and continuing. 

“Anyways. Thinking. I couldn’t figure out… I couldn’t figure out why you threw yourself into this, Mari. Why you didn’t tell me, or you parents, or-” He swallowed before continuing, blinking back tears, “I just couldn’t figure it out at first. And it hurt, because maybe you didn’t trust me, or you _ wanted _ to- _ wanted _ to die, or just… I don’t know. So I thought about it. A lot.”

“You wanted to solve this problem as Marinette, I think. That's the only thing I’m really, truly sure of- because no matter what any of the letters said, or no matter what you told yourself or Tikki, it was doable. You used illusions to pull this off, you just as easily could’ve done the same _ while transformed _.” He sighed, running a clawed hand through his hair. 

“I’m sorry, Mari- I’m not trying to scold. I’m just trying to figure this out.” He kissed her hand again, as a way of apology, before continuing. “Anyways. You wanted to solve this as Marinette, and I don’t entirely know why. Did you need to prove something to yourself? Did you somehow, crazily, believe that Ladybug and Marinette weren’t on the same level? I don’t believe that’s true, because how on Earth could you believe something as absurd as that? M’lady, you’re supposed to be the smart one of the two of us.”

He chuckled before continuing. “I’m serious, though. If you can somehow hear me, understand that Marinette is Ladybug, and Ladybug is only who she is because she’s powered by Marinette, not the other way around. You came before she did, you and all your awesome- I mean pawsome-ness.”

He fell silent for a little while then, staring at the shifting shadows on the wall. 

“Right. I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to trail off. So maybe you did it because you wanted to do it as Marinette. I… Okay. I guess I got thinking again, and I think you still treated it as a Ladybug scenario, Mari. You had a problem, and you made an insanely convoluted plan, and you executed it and… won, I guess. But you didn’t have a lucky charm.

“Obviously you didn’t. You weren’t transformed for most of it, and there was no magic centerpiece to the plan that you could just throw up to erase the damage. I mean, that’s what I assumed. How could you have had a lucky charm?”

Silence reigned over the room again, and he ran his free hand over her bedclothes.

“You were the lucky charm, weren’t you?” He paused as if expecting a response. “I mean, I know it sounds crazy. Maybe I’m just delusional. But you always use your lucky charm, and you’re magic, at least to me, love.

“You were the centerpiece to the plan, the crazy, irrational plan that somehow worked. You used so much goddamn magic to fool everyone for so long, and you stole his miraculous- that sounds exactly like a lucky charm to me, Mari.”

Chat blinked back tears as he watched her chest move up and down, oblivious to what he was saying. “But… You knew you were the lucky charm. And, Mari- you know that no lucky charm has made it past a battle. You have to have thought of that, Mari!”

A sob erupted from his chest, and he tried and failed to stifle it. The words kept coming. 

“You did know, I think. You knew you weren’t coming back, because you said goodbye to everyone, Marinette- you said goodbye and we didn’t hear you, and we didn’t save you, and you’re just lying here, and I-”

Chat couldn’t finish, gripping her hand as he cried, torrents of tears falling down his face. He gasped, feeling as if the air was unbreathable. 

“Why- why did you put yourself in a position where you knew you were going to die, M’lady? Why couldn’t we have talked about it, or- or something? Marinette…”

He took a deep breath, his throat tight from the emotions. “Marinette, I love you, and I always have, and I always will. I need you, Marinette… Your kitty needs you.”

At that, he let himself stop speaking, tears flooding his cheeks and making it too hard for him to speak. 

* * *

Marinette could hear it as she tumbled through her kaleidoscope, though something had changed, she was sure. Warmth flooded her, and space had expanded, almost, as if it had gained weight and dimension, something other than what she had created in her mind. She could grasp a moment, almost, and she could feel the weight of it before it fell away, and while she was feeling through her memories she also felt a hand on her hand, sheets strewn haphazardly over her real body. She could hear everything he was saying as if she was listening to it float by her like a melody she couldn’t place. She grabbed on to one phrase, though, turning it over in her head and pulling it close to her heart. 

_ My kitty needs me. _

Something shifted in her again, as she heard those words over, and over, and over. 

_ Now, I think. Now. _

* * *

Chat Noir sighed as the first rays of morning poked through the blinds of his hospital room. 

“Well, princess, it looks like my time with you is up. I love you, M’lady. I’ll see you soon.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles, turning and making his way around the bed with the intention of leaving when Tikki flew into his line of vision. 

Tikki had been quiet since the first night in the hospital, choosing to snuggle with her injured chosen and work through her emotions alone. Now, however, she was quivering, bright blue eyes brimming with tears. 

“Adr- I- Chat, can you- Can I see Plagg? Please? I… I need him.” She sniffled, and, terrified, Chat took her in his palms, nodding silently before releasing his transformation. Plagg barrelled out of the ring. 

“Adrien, wha- Oh, Tikki, come ‘ere. Let’s go over here, okay? Come here, Tik.” Adrien watched in pure awe as his Kwami shifted from his usual, bratty self to- well- something else. He sighed, staring at them as they left, before sitting again. 

“Nevermind, Marinette. I’m back. By your side. As always. Or, palways- nah, that one doesn't work. Ignore me, love.” He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb, stroking it back and forth, until he slumped into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

Marinette was starting to regret her decision. To start, everything- and she meant everything- hurt, and she did not remember herself feeling this heavy in her own body before. She wanted to move, to kick the sweaty sheets off her body, but she found she couldn’t. She was immobilized, unable to even crack her lips in a plea for water for her parched throat. She mentally hissed, cracking her eyelids open as far as they would go. 

She was met with the sight of Chat Noir, her kitty, standing at the foot of her bed. It was blurry, as her eyes weren’t used to light and felt rusty with disuse, but it was clearly him- the black leather, the tilt of his head, the way he stood, _ everything _. She would’ve smiled if she had the energy to. All she could do, however, was watch, as he released his transformation, revealing-

_ Oh. _

_ Guess the cat’s out of the bag now. _

As he made his way back over to her, she found herself cursing herself for having one of her first thoughts awake be a pun. The thoughts dissipated as he took her hand and kissed it, whispering to her as he rubbed her knuckles.

She fell asleep, hand still clutched in Adrien’s. 

The sun was shining through the blinds pulled down over her windows when she woke, rustling at her side pulling her from the peaceful sleep she was in. She cracked her eyelids, watching as Adrien adjusted slightly, checking the time and letting out a heavy sigh. 

“Plagg?” He called out, still gripping her hand. Marinette craved his warmth and the support he was offering through one measly touch. 

“Plagg, I’m sorry, Tikki, guys- I’ve got to go now or the staff will find me. If it’s alright with you, Plagg, we can just get out of this room and you can come back for Tikki. It’s alright.”

To Marinette, it looked like he was calling out into an empty room. She furrowed her brow. _ Was he leaving? _

A second later, Plagg, followed by a dejected Tikki, appeared at her bedside. “Alright, kid. Let’s go. Tik- Sugarcube- I’ll be back, okay? And she’ll be alright. She’s- she’s a fighter.” 

Plagg spoke with more softness than Marinette expected from the tiny, notoriously flippant god, but Tikki hardly reacted, slumping into Marinette’s hair. Plagg sighed heavily with resignation, turning towards Adrien for his command. 

Adrien turned back towards Marinette, hand still clutched in hers, and she sensed that he was leaving her, a ball of dread sitting in her gut. 

“Alright, my princess. I’ve gotta go, for real now. I love you, m’lady. Marinette.” He brought her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles, but she felt his grip loosening, and if she had full control of her body, she would’ve growled, pouted, and pleaded him to stay. 

Instead, she clutched his hand as hard as she could and pulled it towards her, forcing him back to sitting and mumbling something that sounded like, “S’ay wih meh.”

Adrien jolted, stumbling down to his knees at her bedside, searching her face for any stray signs of life. “Wha- what? Marinette? Mari- Marinette, please- please, please, please be awake.”

Marinette opened an eye at him, confused and annoyed. _ Of course _ she was awake. She was talking to him, quite coherently she might add, and _ he _ was the one being annoying and asking stupid questions. In fact, he should really just climb into this scratchy, uncomfortable bed _ with _ her and snuggle her. She was _ cold _. 

Sighing, she tried again, giving his arm another, more forceful yank. It almost sent him tumbling on top of her, leading him to stabilize himself against her bedrails. 

“C’mere, kitty cat. Stay. Cuddle wi’h me.”

Adrien collapsed, tears streaking down his cheeks as he took her in- his princess, his lady, his _ Marinette _ lying in the bed, annoyed and tired, but awake, awake and _ alive _\- it was too much, too much joy for him to contain. Tikki, too, had been watching silently, cerulean eyes filled with hope, and now she was squealing with joy and burrowing herself into Marinette’s collarbone, hugging her with her tiny arms. 

“Aw- no, guys, don’- don’t cry. I’m okay.” Her speech slowly became clearer as she blinked up at him, lifting her uninjured arm- the one still clutching his hand- up to his face, wiping away the tears.

He nodded, blinking them back himself. Now was not the time for tears, not at all, not if his love was alive and well and talking to him. He could cry his relief later, but now-

“Oh, Mari. I’ve missed you.” She smiled, a sweet, breath-taking smile, and he breathed out, shoulders relaxing under the weight of all the stress of the last few days._ She’s alive. _

“I’ve missed you too, Kitty.” Her eyes were barely cracked open, and suddenly Adrien was hit with a sensation in his gut, dragging him down from his euphoria. She was in a little bit of

a delirium, that much was clear, and she hadn’t really _ looked _at him- did she even know who was standing in front of her?

“Marinette,” He started slowly, grasping her hand in his. “I’m… I’m not Chat Noir. I’m Adrien, see?”

Marinette seemed to make a noncommital noise, smiling softly. “I know, Kitty. Adrikitty. Noirgreste. Is that your name? My favorite, funny-punny kitty.” She giggled then, a mellifluous sound that bounced off of the walls of her hospital room, but the feeling in Adrien’s gut dragged him lower still. 

_ They said- her concussion- they said she might sustain some brain damage. They didn’t know… _

Adrien gulped. “Ti-Tikki? What- Is she okay?” Tikki fluttered up towards him, but her answer was cut off by Marinette again. 

“Of course I’m alright, silly. How could I not be, with my best Kitty and my best Adrien right here?” She smiled again, relaxing back into the pillows on her bed. “Oh, and of course Tikki. How could I forget you?”

Tikki and Adrien exchanged a look, teeming with concern, as Marinette spoke again. “Where- Where’s Plagg, then? Come out now, Plagg. I wanna- I wanna see you too- I wanna thank you for helpin’ Tikki when Adrien- when Adrien detransfouhmed…” 

Adrien’s gut lifted, glancing at Tikki as Plagg poked out of his shirt. “So- does that mean- is she just-”

Tikki frowned, flitting over to her Chosen’s forehead. “I think… I hope she’s okay. It might just be the painkillers she’s on, or- she’s been unconscious for a while, and-”

“So she’s okay? She’ll get better?”

Tikki nodded pensively, but she did little to conceal the relief on her face. _ Her bug was alright. _

Adrien took a deep breath, squeezing Marinette’s hand. “Alright- okay. You’re awake. Should I- should I call a nurse, Mari? Do you need anything?”

She shook her head, and Adrien watched as the fog behind her eyes slowly cleared. She still seemed far off, a little bit too much pain medicine pulling her away from him, but she was there, holding his hand, and she was zooming towards him and reality at incredible speeds. He couldn’t possibly be more relieved.

“Just… just you.” He smiled at her as she turned her head, gazing at him with a softness that melted his heart. He felt his cheeks heat up in response.

“O-okay, Marinette. I’m- I’m going to call the nurse in, and- and your parents, okay? We’ll… we’ll talk after.” 

She frowned, gripping his hand tighter, and he shook his head, reaching over her to press the button to call for the nurse, before settling in to wait. He knew he’d probably get in trouble, but he didn’t see any way to extricate his hand from her grip, and he really, _ really _, didn’t want to leave her side. 

It wasn’t long before he heard voices stationed outside of the room. His ears, enhanced through his training with the miraculous, perked up, attaching to the concerned voices of Sabine and Tom and another that he didn’t recognize. _ The nurse. _

“There’s no reason- this is too early for her usual check-up. Why were you running? _ Please _, I-”

Sabine’s voice cracked on the last word, and he knew she was assuming the worst. He hurt for her, but he kept silent, gripping Marinette’s hand in his. 

“Miss, please, that’s not what this is- it’s just that-” The nurse sighed heavily. “I need to go check on the patient before I tell you anything, alright?”

Tom’s gruff voice came through next, and Adrien briefly wondered if they had only just woken up in the uncomfortable chairs. “Is she alright? Please, can we come in with you? Visiting hours start in a few minutes anyways…”

The nurse sighed with annoyance, but he heard the handle turn, revealing the nurse and her parents, anxiously standing on the threshold. The nurse started at the sight of him, before glaring and storming into the room. 

“You’re not supposed to be in here, young man- it’s not visiting hours yet. Now, I’m willing to bet that you pressed the nurse button?”

Adrien winced. “No- well, yes, I did, and I’m sorry, but-” Marinette shifted, snuggling closer to his voice, “She’s awake.”

The demeanor of the room changed instantly, as Sabine collapsed, relieved, onto Tom, who’s face was slowly turning into a dopey smile as he stared at his sleep daughter. The nurse-managed a soft, small smile before rushing over to her bedside, pulling out a variety of contraptions, that, logically, he knew were 100% safe, but he was hesitant to trust with _ his _ Marinette. 

The nurse suddenly pulled her attention back to him, eyes trailing over their clasped hands. “You’re… I’m sorry, but you’re gonna need to let go of her for this check-up.”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, uh, about that.” He let go of Marinette’s hand, but hers was still firmly wrapped around his. Sighing, he wiggled it away, only for her arm to dart out and recapture it in a vice grip. 

“Silly kitty…” The room heard her murmur. 

The nurse sighed again, but Adrien caught the smile on her face. “Alright then, Marinette. If that’s what you want…” She continued with her tests as Marinette closed her eyes, a smile overtaking her face as she rested. 

The nurse finished up, packing her cart and turning to the family. “She’s… all good, it seems. Well, still healing, of course, but everything looks like it's on track. She’s bound to be a little loopy from the pain medicine and the coma, but she’ll be able to hold a proper conversation soon, I’m sure. I’ll leave you be now.”

Tom and Sabine smiled gratefully at the nurse as she walked out, before immediately rushing to their daughter’s side, crouching around her bed, hovering over the slightly delirious girl. 

“Is- is she gone yet?” After this, Marinette yawned, moving to lift herself to sitting before three pairs of hands stopped her. 

“Marinette, oh, goodness, Marinette! We were so, so worried!” Tom moved his palms to his eyes, rubbing away the moisture threatening to spill over. 

“Aww, Papa, don’t cry. I’m just… I’m just sleepy, that’s all.” Despite the situation, the group laughed, sharing a look between them.

“It… it might be best to let her get some rest and work the pain meds out of her system. She needs it, I think.” Tikki had poked up from behind her holder's shoulder, and her parents nodded, helping adjust her pillows as she easily fell back asleep. 

* * *

It wasn’t all that long until she woke up again, but it felt like an eternity. Sabine had sighed, anxiously, before making her way to her daughter and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead before making her way back to her seat.

“Cha- Chat? Adrien? Maman?” Sabine spun around, staring at Marinette, who’s eyes were sleepily opening. “Maman? Is that you? Where’s my kitty?”

Sabine and Tom rushed over to Marinette. 

“Marinette, oh, sweetheart, we were so scared! Adrien’s right here- holding your hand, sweetheart- and, um- well, ah, I think we have a lot to discuss.”

“Water?” Marinette croaked the word out, spurring her parents into immediate motion, rushing around until they found a glass and filled it with cool water. They helped her swallow it down, as one of her hands was still occupied by a hovering Adrien and her other arm was injured and far too heavy for her to lift up on her own. 

Once she had finished drinking, Adrien cleared his throat. “Um, Mari, how much do you remember from earlier today? I don’t mean to stress you out, but if we want to talk about anything...”

She closed her eyes, nodding. “It’s a little hazy, to be honest. I remember… who you are, Kitty, and some other stuff.” Her eyes widened comically as she glanced at Adrien. “Oh god, did I say something embarrassing?”

He laughed. “Only called me your favorite kitty and complimented my puns.”

She groaned, rolling her eyes. “I’m never going to live that down now, am I?”

He squeezed her hand. “Nope.”

She turned to her parents, letting her kitty enjoy his win. “So, since I’ve been… out, what’s been new in the world? I mean,” She stumbled over her words hurriedly, “with the villain hero stuff. Other stuff too of course. Friend stuff. Any stuff.”

Tom laughed, shaking his head, before growing serious. 

“We have a lot to talk about regarding you, Marinette. We can save that conversation for when you’re feeling better, though. For now…”

Sabine grimaced, but she began going over the news briefly. “The… world is kind of in a panic. Since neither you nor Chat- him- have been spotted since the arrest, so they’re having trouble gathering evidence, but he’s being kept in a holding cell, since the whole… underground thing.” 

Marinette grimaced, but she made a gesture for her parents to continue. “As for the final battle… people are confused, and angry. No one was around to see what happened on the Eiffel Tower, and with Alya’s blog trick, people are still struggling to-”

“Wait, what? What blog trick?”

Sabine’s eyebrows shot up. “Well… I guess it’s best you see for yourself.”

Marinette took the phone from her mom trepidatiously, clicking on the top video, labeled “Live Stream: Final Battle!”. 

It opened with Alya at the Arc de Triomphe, and Marinette frowned instantly. This wasn’t right at all, and the footage of the fighting was old, she was sure, though that hadn’t happened there… 

And then Alya yelled something about the fight moving, and the camera faded out, and she was at the Louvre, with the same akumatized villain and Hawkmoth, and Marinette knew this hadn’t happened, _ ever _ , and what _ was _ this?

She kept on watching, though confused, until the video came to a close. When it did, she scrolled through the comments, where people grew more and more furious over Alya’s deception.

_ MrsNoir321: _ Tabloids like this are why fake news exist. Get a life. 

_ L0ve_1s_Ladybug: _ I used 2 trust this cite and now it made me miss the FINAL BATTLE. SMH.

_Smitten!Kitten567: _what, was this posted 2distract us from the real battle so u culd watch it all by urself? loser.

The last comment struck her as she read it, over and over and over. Alya had been at the battle, begging to save illusion-Marinette, and Ladybug had turned her down and begged her to leave so that they could properly save her. Ladybug had said that they needed everyone away so that they could fight in peace. 

Marinette sucked in a breath. _ Oh. _

She had done it-_ of course she had _\- to clear everyone out, because if the most trustworthy new source said that the battle was somewhere else, people believed it, and they followed. Marinette’s eyes welled up with tears, because her best friend, who had chewed her out, accused her, made mistake after mistake after mistake, had destroyed herself and her life’s work to save Marinette, in the end. Alya had done everything she could to fix her mistakes, and she was repenting, and Marinette missed her best friend. 

“She’s… she’s been sitting outside in the waiting room the entire time you’ve been here. She refuses to come in because she doesn’t think you’d want her here, but… you don’t have to, of course- we know what she did, and-”

“Bring her in.” Marinette choked it out through a swelling throat. She hastily blinked back tears and plastered on a weak smile for Alya. 

It fell away when a disheveled Alya raced into the room, sobbing as she practically threw herself at Marinette, stopping herself centimeters away and retracting her hands as she took a seat at her bedside.

“Marinette- I’m so sorry- I- I’m so glad you’re alright, oh my god, Marinette-”

Marinette cut her off, shuffling to prop herself up on the bed while neither putting strain on her injured arm, Adrien helping lift her as well. Even with the two of them on the task, it was difficult.

Once she had somewhat successfully completed her task, she spoke. “Alya! Alya, look- I’m okay. It’s only a couple scrapes and bruises, really.” 

Alya let out a broken laugh, sniffling and wiping her eyes. “Marinette, seriously- I was awful, I- I don’t deserve a friend like you, and I messed up, I messed up so bad, and you have every right to kick me out, kick me out right now, Mari-”

Marinette shook her head again, staring at the teary girl in front of her. “No, Alya. I… You made some mistakes, but… it happens, Al, and what’s important is that you did what you could afterward. I saw the videos on the Ladyblog.” She smiled, but Alya dissolved into tears again, head in her hands. 

“Marinette, I swear I wasn’t- I know it looks like I was just trying to get, like, attention, or something, but I swear I wasn’t, I would never- not with your life on the line, at least- I _ swear _, Mari-”

Marinette shook her head frantically, making herself a little dizzy. “No- Al- wait, Alya, breathe. Calm down. Alya, I know why you made those videos, and I’m so, so thankful. Really.” 

Alya’s eyes shined as she took Marinette in. “God, I’m just so glad you’re okay.”

Marinette smiled again, but her eyes were drawn towards the doorway, where Nino stood sheepishly. 

“Is… Is now a good time? For me to come in?” He fiddled with his cap, and Marinette grinned.

“Nino!” She shrieked, and then, in a much softer tone, coughing a little, “Come here! I’ve missed you, and your girlfriend is being very upset for no reason.” 

Nino chuckled and made his way into the room, taking a seat beside Adrien. The room was now probably well above capacity, but Marinette couldn’t bring herself to care. 

Nino began to speak, stumbling over another apology, but Marinette cut him off. “Nope- not now, Nino. We’ll deal with all apologies later- Nino, why even- you already- not important right now.” She sighed. “Right now, I’m not really up for any necessary or unnecessary,” She glared at Nino, eyebrows raised, “apologies, so we’re just going to talk, okay?”

Alya sniffed.

Marinette sighed, shaking her head. “Really, guys. I’m alright, see? Just a few scrapes and bruises, like I said. You can stop worrying now.”

She didn’t expect it to work, but she still widened her eyes hopefully and put on her best representation of a smile. 

It didn’t. 

In the end, it took a few exhausting hours to convince the couple that she wasn’t going anywhere, and that they should go home, see their families, and get some proper rest since she was just fine. 

“Alya, come on! You need your sleep, and your parents- and Nora- and Etta and Ella- are probably all worried sick about you! Go home, it’s alright! I have Adrien and my parents. I’ll be fine. Nino, you too. Chris needs his older brother.”

The pair sighed, glancing at each other before nodding. 

“If you’re sure-”

“Only if you’re really positive-”

Marinette was ready to rip her hair out. “Yes! I am! Now go!”

“Call us!”

“We’re happy to come back!”

Marinette groaned as they left the room. “Oh my god! I love those two, but they’re- you know- I’m fine!”

Adrien smiled down at her, shaking his head. “I don’t know, Princess. I don’t think what you’ve got there on your arm counts as ‘just a scrape’.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “It’s healing nicely, so whatever. Anyways, fill me in more on what we’re dealing with out there.” She nodded to the window. 

Tom adjusted in his seat, sighing. “Well, yeah. Alya’s video came out and people believed it- the online community is pretty mad at her for it, but nothing else has really come of that. The police believe that it’s possible Adrien-” he cast a sideways glance at the boy, who was staring resolutely at his princess, “could have been involved or an accomplice to Hawkmoth. They actually came here, to the hospital, to try to take him into custody, but we shut that down quick.”

Marinette nodded, brow furrowed. “Well, Ladybug will be sure to testify against that. We can also remind the court that your father was a manipulative asshole if they seem to decide you were in kahoots with him, though I doubt they’ll be able to pull that off.”

Adrien laughed. He’d had a hard time dealing with his father’s supervillain status, and while everyone had been kind, Marinette was being… Marinette, and that was _ exactly _what he needed. 

“We’ll also testify against him for _ that _, if you’re okay with it, Adrien. It’ll probably take some heat off of you, and I personally don’t want him anywhere near you for… the rest of your life. So, we have the extremely restrictive diets, the underage working, the threats and the school-”

“And, Mari, what he did to _ you _.” Adrien was staring at her, and he watched as she sighed and looked away. 

It was horrible to know what had happened. It was horrible to know that he had lived and walked and slept right above his Marinette’s head, his sweet girl who was likely being abused and tortured and hurt. He didn’t want to hear any more about it, but he needed to know.”

“Listen, Marinette,” Sabine spoke up now, softly, “We understand this is hard. And you don’t have to tell us just yet. But- you’ve gotta tell someone, okay? You need to talk about this, and…” She sighed, letting the rest of her sentence fade away. 

Marinette stayed silent, staring at her bandaged arm. Her body _ throbbed _\- even on painkillers, the bruises and the cuts and the hits she had taken didn’t go away. Worse, though, thinking about it scared her- she knew, somehow, what she did was irrational and wrong, and she had almost died, and-

She took a deep breath. “Okay.” 

“O-okay? Really?” Adrien looked surprised, but she nodded. 

“Yeah. Okay. Where- where do you want me to start?”

“The beginning is usually a purrty good place.” Marinette yanked her hand out of his to slap his arm gently before recapturing his hand. 

“Fine, sure.” She took a deep breath. “Well, I guess it started the night… the night we kissed.” She blushed, but she kept talking. “I don’t know why he came for me, but I guess… my guess is Gabriel saw us kiss, somehow, and he decided to target me from there.”

She winced slightly. “I was talking to Tikki in my bed when my wall disappeared, so I pretended to be asleep, and, you know, like any good villain, he monologued- about how I was corrupting his son and about the macaroons I sent him. I didn’t see a way to escape and

transform, so I took my earrings out while he talked, and when he got closer, I kicked him away and jumped out of my trapdoor. You’ve probably heard the accounts of me making a run for it, but there wasn’t anywhere else for me to go, so… yeah.”

“I woke up in his lair. You know it, Adrien- the part with all the butterflies. He wanted to know your identity, and at that point I didn’t know it, but he didn’t believe me, so he kicked me a few times and threatened me with his sword. I may have acted like a smartass, I don’t remember. Anyways, that’s when I got this.” She gestured to her arm, the memory flashing behind her eyelids. 

“The next time I saw Hawkmoth, he brought Lila- as an akuma- with him. Her power was to make you tell the truth, essentially. They kept on asking your real identity, but, you know, I gave them fun answers that made them mad instead, so Lila kicked me a bunch. Probably where the ribs are from.” She winced again, but she was smiling a bit, too. It was always fun to mess with supervillains.

“After that, I was left alone for a while… I don’t know how long. I wasn’t fed, um, and when I woke up I was tied up and hanging from the Eiffel Tower. That’s when Tikki and Trixx showed up- where is she, by the way?- and I created my plan with them. They helped me put the jewelry on and Trixx created an illusion of me on the chair, and a tube where the real me could fall through without being seen. From there, Chat and I fought, but we lost, and Hawkmoth took the illusion with him. Trixx made me give up the necklace, ‘cause I was weak and we parted ways.”

Adrien made some exclamation under his breath, and Marinette squeezed his hand, continuing. 

“Anyways, I went home and I wrote the letters. Chat showed up eventually, and I, um… I forced him to stay silent about me, and I’m sorry, I really am, I just… anyways. At 18:00, like Chat and I promised, we met at the Eiffel Tower. I had put on my old PJs, to match Trixx’s illusion, and I stopped at the bakery too. You remember that.”

“We went to the mansion, and when Trixx said it was safe, I went down and switched with illusion Marinette, and Trixx created an illusion of Ladybug. After Chat came down, Hawkmoth came and called Lila back as an akuma, and Chat fought her off while I was pulled into a different part of his lair. It had this… bridge, thing, and off the edge was an extremely far drop.”

She took a shuddery breath and coughed to cover it up, but the action made her ribs hurt more and she winced. 

“To, uh, ‘wake me up’ he used his saber to slash my sides and he tipped my chair over the edge to threaten Chat. That’s when I stole the brooch, and, since he was angry, he, uh, he pushed me over.”

Adrien’s breath still caught at this part of the story. He knew it, of course, but that didn’t stop it from hurting when he imagined Marinette crashing against the floor of that cavern, bloodied and helpless…

“I transformed somewhere on the way down and swung back up. After tying Hawkmoth up and all that, I collapsed. I don’t… I don’t remember anything else.” 

She sniffed, hastily wiping away the tears brimming in her eyes. Adrien caught her hand, holding it tight, as he convinced her to let herself cry, to let it out. 

“Jesus, Mari… you… on the Eiffel Tower, as Ladybug, you were coming out of _ that _? God, I’m so, so-”

She held a hand up, silencing him. “Ah- no apologies. Really- it wasn’t your fault, kitty-cat.” She smiled up at him, lifting her hand to his face. 

“Now, um… if it’s all the same to you, I’m gonna try to sleep now. I just…” She smiled softly, but it wasn't hard to see the exhaustion in her eyes. “I’m tired.”

The group nodded, helping her settle back into the bed. They all had a lot to think about.

* * *

That night, Chat crept in through her window again. He would never be used to the sight that he was always met with: Marinette, sickly skin overcome with a pallor, bathed in moonlight, connected to a mess of tubes and wires. It was strange while she was in a coma, to be sure, to see the love of his life barely visible against stark white sheets, unresponsive to the world around her and in a dreamland he couldn’t reach. 

He found out that night that it was stranger still to be met with her when awake. Her skin had regained some color, glowing softly in the moonlight, and her eyes- her eyes were open, and staring at him, glittering cerulean. Her lips quirked upwards as she watched him slip through the window and take his place at her side. 

The conversation flowed effortlessly, but Chat knew he was dodging the subjects he wanted to touch, and it hurt him every time she smiled, because _ god _. He had almost lost that smile. And for what?

“Mari…” He whispered, forcing the words out in the momentary lull in the conversation. She gazed up at him, sensing the turn the conversation was about to take. 

He took a deep breath. “Marinette, you almost died.”

Silence. 

“I mean, you know that. We both do. But Mari…” He closed his eyes, and he felt her hand squeeze his. “Mari, you almost killed yourself. You- you almost- you almost let yourself die, you almost let yourself fall to your death, and don’t even get me started on that foolishly brave plan, and- and what for, Mari? Defeating Hawkmoth?” He opened his eyes again. “Why did you try to kill yourself for that?”

“Kitty, I… I thought it was the only way, I didn’t-” She cut herself off with a sharp intake of breath, and she glanced at him, blue eyes imploring him to understand, to drop it, to let it go. And _ god _, it was hard to say no to her when she looked like that, but he had no choice. He needed to know.

“Marinette, my lady, we both know that’s not true. Come on, love- you could’ve caught yourself earlier, we could’ve come up with a plan that wouldn’t have killed you- we had _ options _, Mari.”

“I thought… I thought that if I told you, you wouldn’t let me fight, or wouldn’t let me fight until I was treated- and by that point, you know, we- we would’ve lost him, and…”

Chat flushed slightly, realizing that she was right; knowing what had happened to her in captivity, there was no way in hell he would’ve sent her back to the battlefield. He gripped her hand tighter. 

“But Mari-why _ that _ plan? You had to know that you wouldn’t…“ He trailed off, eyes widening. “The notes… Princess, you knew, didn’t yo? You- you didn’t think you’d…”

“I didn’t know if I wanted to.” Their eyes met, and Marinette’s were swimming with tears. “I’m sorry, Chat- that’s not what I meant, obviously I-”

Chat leveled his stern gaze at her, lifting his free hand to wipe the tears from her cheek. “Tell me, Marinette.”

“I just… you- you were all I had, Chat. The class hated me, Lila was still evil, everything _ hurt… _” She let out a broken laugh, squeezing his hand. “And… I loved you. Love you. So much. But I thought… If you found out who I was- if you found out I was also Ladybug, maybe you wouldn’t love me anymore, or… maybe you wouldn’t love me at all when I got back, and I couldn’t take that, so…”

Adrien moved to interrupt, but she kept going, rushing past him. “I didn’t know what I was doing ‘til I did it- I wrote the letters just in case, and I went to the bakery as a spur of the moment thing, and when I was falling…”

She took a deep breath, staring at Chat’s soft green eyes. “I… I had done it, you know? I’d defeated Hawkmoth, the one thing I’d been working towards for years, and… what else was there? I mean, there was you- of course, there was you, and in reality, you’re why I’m still here, but at that moment… no one needed me, and everything hurt, and I just didn’t think…” She hung her head, tears dripping down her nose and onto her lap. 

“Hey, wait, no. Love, I’m not… I’m not angry. It wasn’t your fault. It’s- it’s everyone else's, for making-” he gulped, choking on the work, “for making _ death _seem like a better option. I’m not mad. Just promise me that we’ll talk about these things in the future?”

Marinette nodded hastily, before nodding off, sleep taking over her features and softening out the pain from them. Chat sighed, kissing her forehead. 

His poor Marinette… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! I've been away for a while again, but here's my newest chapter. It's hard to write the stuff that's just... talking and recapping, you know? We're approaching the end, probably, which is sad, but I have other ideas for other stories too.  
Anyways, in terms of my very interesting life, everything in Illinois is shut down. I'm in the county with the most coronavirus cases, and my mom's a physician, though she doesn't directly interact with patients. E-school is incredibly easy, and therapy is stressful. You know. Life.  
If anyone remembers my Jane Eyre essay from multiple chapters ago, I'm considering trying to pitch it to publishing places/magazines that'll pay because like... money. and fame. my two motivators, clearly. Anyways, any thoughts?  
Love you all. Comments and kudos make my day :)


	21. 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They leave the hospital. Police and investigations ensue.

The hospital stay, after her waking up, went astonishingly quickly. Her wounds healed themselves miraculously fast, and though the doctors predicted that she’d need physical therapy and that she’d need to take time to readjust to walking, Marinette had practically just bared her teeth at them and swung her legs out of bed, unsteadily walking across the room. She’d scared Adrien half to death when she stumbled, but she caught herself, staring at the doctor the entire time. 

After that, of course, she insisted on walking everywhere and on lifting everything with her left arm, much to everyone’s dismay. When they tried to stop her, she just raised her eyebrows, saying, “If I ever want to punch bad guys again, I need to be able to walk, don’tcha think?”

They all sighed at that. There was no stopping her. 

Another obstacle, of sorts, stood between them and getting outside, though- and that was the press. And the police. And the rest of Paris, probably. 

Adrien sighed, peaking through the blinds out to the small crowd forming near the hospital. He knew that as soon as he stepped out and into it, he’d be detained, and Marinette would be left to deal with the press. He groaned. 

“Mari, are you sure you’re ready to-”

“Yup. Are you?”

He stayed silent, lifting the shade again slightly. 

“Kitty. You know I’ll transform and clear it up immediately, right? You know I’ll make sure they know it had nothing to do with you.”

“Yeah. I do. I just…”

He sighed, and Marinette nodded. 

“I know.”

Adrien grabbed her hand quickly. “Can we… stay here for a few minutes? Just a few.”

“Of course, Kitty.”

They stood at the doors to the hospital, preparing themselves to face the world outside. Marinette squeezed Adrien’s hand before taking a step forward, but he stopped her. 

“Wait- Marinette, I, um…”

She grinned at him, before reaching up and pulling him down into a kiss. His arms wrapped around her, supporting her as he kissed her, and she smiled against his lips before pulling away. 

“Alright, Chaton. Time to face the music.” She held his hand as they walked out, trailed immediately by her parents. Adrien closed his eyes, stepping into the brisk, fresh air, and meeting the chests of two blue-clad officers. 

“Ahem. You, kid, are coming with us. You’re under formal investigation for possible collaboration with Hawkmoth, also known as Gabriel Agreste. You have the right to remain silent and-”

“No, he’s not. Come on, Adrien, we’re leaving. We’ll be going into the station on our own terms to give our statements.” 

Marinette had let go of his arm to take a step towards the officer, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She was giving him her best Ladybug stare, but the officer seemed unfazed; her small demeanor and the fact that she was swaying on the spot wasn’t helpful for her case. 

“Yeah, kid, you don’t have a choice here. C’mon.”

Adrien put a hand on Marinette’s arm, to comfort her and to help her get her bearings, but she stood strong, taking another step in front of him. 

“Under what authority? Do you have any evidence that he was working with Hawkmoth, other than his dad? Any statements from Ladybug and Chat Noir, or even from Hawkmoth himself? No? I didn’t think so. I, personally, didn’t see him while I was being held captive in his father’s secret lair, if that’s what you want to hear. We’ll come in on our own time.”

Marinette grabbed his hand and started to walk off, but they were stopped by the first officer, who looked guilty but resigned. 

“I’m sorry, Miss, but it’ll be quick. We just have to get his statement, and if he says nothing that implicates him, he’ll probably be free to go.”

Marinette raised her eyebrows at him. “Probably?”

The officer shrugged sheepishly. “Technically, we can’t release him until we get the heroes statements…” 

Marinette nearly hissed. “And, what, they haven’t been seen in multiple days? So you’re planning on detaining a child for an unspecified amount of time with no evidence so that you can get the accounts of two magical beings who have disappeared? I’m starting to sound like Chloe, but… ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.”

She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, and Adrien hoped the camera flashes of the press weren’t upsetting her concussion. 

“Alright. Since it’s the law, you… can have him,  _ I guess _ , but only four 24 hours, or until the heroes appear. You shouldn’t detain a minor longer than that anyways. If you do, I will personally come in and tear the place apart, got it?” The officer nodded, but she didn’t acknowledge it as she moved on. “Second, he will not be seeing his father. You have no justifiable reason to put this boy in the same room as a supervillain, so I’d suggest you don’t.” 

Her glare could’ve burned holes in the pavement, Adrien was pretty sure, and the officer gulped and nodded, gently guiding Adrien away from her. He glanced back at her to find that reporters had already swarmed her and her family. He gulped. 

Marinette let her parents take over as they told the reporters off; she was dizzy, and tired, and her head  _ hurt.  _ She couldn’t think of anything but her sweet partner as her parents led her through the crowd to their car, helping her settle in the backseat and driving off. They helped her to her room, providing her with cookies and her phone, begging her to text them if she needed anything. They turned out her lights, urging her to rest, and then left, retreating to the bakery. The room was quiet for a total of 30 seconds.

“Tikki, I need to go out.”

“Wha- Marinette, you have a concussion. You are recovering from a coma. No.”

“Tikki! Adrien’s out there, and I gotta give a statement saying he wasn’t involved. Plus, the people of Paris are probably worried. It’ll be nice for them to see their hero. I won’t stop for any of them, but still!”

Tikki sighed. She knew she couldn’t stop her holder. 

“At least text your parents to let them know?”

Marinette grinned. 

Adrien sat in an interrogation room, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He could see why criminals would confess in places like these- they were dark, grimy, and the chair was probably the least comfortable thing he had ever had the displeasure of sitting on. He squirmed. 

The officer walked in, dropping his manila notebook on the table with a _ whap _ and startling Adrien to attention. He scraped his chair across the floor, making Adrien wince, before taking a seat. 

“So, let's get right to it, shall we? The officers who arrived at the scene couldn’t find you anywhere in your house. Where were you?”

“I was… out. At Marinette’s house. With her parents.” That sounded convincing, he hoped. 

“People who knew you said that Gabriel kept a tight leash on you, kid. Out? At night? Seems unrealistic.”

“I snuck out. My window’s second floor, but it’s doable. And Father- I mean Gabriel- was less strict as the Marinette thing happened. Just… sorta forgot about me, I guess.” That much was true, at least. 

“So you’re telling me you knew nothing of your father’s double life?”

“No, sir. I didn’t know much of him at all, to be honest. He was always very private, and the last time I saw him before the capture- when I saw him on the news- was a week before Marinette was kidnapped, and before that, it was at least a week and over a video call. Those were for my weigh-ins”

The officer’s expression shifted. “When was the last time you saw him for...bonding time, or something, son?”

Adrien looked confused. “What… do you mean?”

“I mean, when was the last time you saw him for a reason other than, I guess, weight-related?”

“He comes to criticize my photoshoots sometimes over a video call. The last time was a few months ago, I think…”

“In person. Nothing business-related.”

Adrien furrowed his brow, before his eyes lit up. “Oh! I know! When Marinette sent him the macaroons!”

A look from the officer prompted more explanation, so he went on. “Well, it’s a long story, really. I was getting really hungry at school, ‘cause my diet, so Marinette devised a really clever way to get me some food during the school day! But he has spies in my class- Lila- and she told him what Marinette was doing, so, y’know, he threatened her career, but Marinette’s- well- Marinette! She made a bunch of macaroons designed off of people she’s designed for and sold them, and after the day was over, she took the leftovers to my house and dropped them off with a note. She’d also done one of my father, see, and it barely sold, while the other ones… And the note was pretty much telling him to- excuse my language- to fuck off! When I got home, I saw him in the entryway holding the box- he was irate. This was… four months ago? Five? I can’t remember.” 

He shrugged, but he was smiling. The officer, however, was not. 

“Oh… boy. Gabriel Agreste is going in under plenty more charges than we suspected.” He muttered, before looking up at the boy. “Alright, well- we have to keep you here until Ladybug or Chat Noir comes through. If you have anything else you’d like to tell us about your father, feel free.”

He got far, _ far,  _ more than he bargained for. 

  
  


Ladybug swung through Paris, smiling at the cheers she heard below her. She spared a wave or two, but nothing deterred her from her final destination: the police station. She retracts her yoyo as she lands in front of the station with a soft  _ whump _ , continuing her momentum to push through the doors and slam her hand on the desk. 

The police officer jerked his head up, eyes widening to the size of dinner plates at her. “L-Ladybug? Wha-”

She put on her sweetest smile as she spoke, crossing her arms. “I’m here to give my statement,  _ sir. _ ”

“O-of course, Ladybug. I’ll- I’ll get the sergeant, and-” He scurried out of the room, and Ladybug raised her eyebrows. 

Maybe her concussion was making her act a little irrationally. 

She didn’t really care. 

As she waited, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the windows and winced. She could see why the officer had freaked as he did. Tikki had delayed her normal healing process to focus on the bigger things, like the massive gashes on her sides, so the smaller scrapes and cuts on her face were still there. She still had a bruise on her cheek, and little scrapes dotted her nose and forehead. She was thinner, gaunter, and her pigtails were not as neat as they usually were, somehow. Ladybug didn’t know how that was possible- they were magic, after all- but she sighed, hurrying to manually straighten them. 

“Ah. Ladybug.” The sergeant had walked in, and Ladybug whipped around, the room spinning for a second. 

“Sergeant. I’m here to give Chat and my official statement.” They had talked about what this would be, in the hospital, but still, Ladybug felt uncomfortable lying as she stood there under his cool gaze.

“You can give your statement. Chat Noir needs to come in for his own.”

Ladybug smiled sweetly again, hoping it would have the same effect it did on the officer. It didn’t. 

“Well then. You’ll have to wait then, won’t you? Chat is dealing with personal business and won’t be available for the foreseeable future.”

He glowered but motioned her to follow, and she did as she was led into a dingy investigation room. Was this where Adrien was? 

She shuddered slightly. 

“Please. Sit.” She did. “Now, will you give your recounting of the events of Hawkmoth’s capture? With as much detail as possible, please.”

“Sure. Chat and I met at the Eiffel Tower at 18:00 to discuss strategy before making our way over to Gabriel Agreste’s mansion. We snuck in through an open window and used the painting of Emilie Agreste and the secret buttons embedded in it to sneak into his lair before waiting in the rafters. This was at approximately 19:00, though I’m not entirely sure.”

“We waited until Hawkmoth appeared before attacking. Unfortunately, he was able to send out an Akuma to Lila Rossi, which we had to fight simultaneously. We have evidence to believe that she was working willingly with Hawkmoth, but more on that later.”

“The entire time, Mari- Ms. Dupain-Cheng was tied up in the center of the room and unconscious. We had untied her hands but we were unable to evacuate her from the premises before the fight began. While we were distracted by the akuma, Hawkmoth took Ms. Dupain-Cheng with him into another room in his lair, via elevator. I sustained an injury in the akuma fight, but we succeeded and tied the akuma victim up, due to our concerns as to her allegiance. We then followed Hawkmoth to a bridge, where he was tipping Ms. Dupain-Cheng off of. He had used his saber to hurt her and wake her up, apparently, and while he was distracted with baiting us, Ms. Dupain-Cheng ripped his miraculous off his chest, leading him to push her off the bridge. We both leaped after her, of course, but I caught her and rested her on a platform below the fighting to tie Gabriel up and deliver him to the authorities. Then, we left him in his lair, rid him of the miraculous, and Chat took Ms. Dupain-Cheng to the hospital.”

She met his stare with her own, challenging him to deny her story. 

“Alright… Well, we have a few questions. First of all, Lila Rossi. What makes you believe she’s a threat?”

Ladybug smiled grimly. “You’re going to need Marinette’s testimony for that, but she was used as an akuma to torture Ms. Dupain-Cheng while she was captured, and she seemed to have memories of the time, indicating that it was a willing akumatization. She baited Chat Noir with them after she was deakumatized the second time. Also, she’s expressed her hate of me… numerous times.”

The officer looked at his notes, before muttering softly. “I see…” He paused, before looking up at her. “Alright then. Adrien Agreste. We believe he as affiliation with Hawkmoth, his father. What evidence do you have to support that?”

Ladybug felt her face go red with anger. “What a way to phrase a question, officer! Are you trying to convict a child or get justice?” She stared at him silently until he shrunk a little bit. “I see. Well, I have no evidence that he was, and I, personally, believe that he is completely innocent of his father’s crimes. In past akumas, he’s come near death, and Hawkmoth has no know allies except Mayura, which I suspect to be his assistant, Nathalie. Adrien has never been akumatized, to my knowledge, making it impossible for him to be a willing akuma victim, and he was not present during the final battle.”

She crossed her arms, leaning back in her seat. 

“Fine, Ladybug. Just… Just a few more questions, if you will.”

“Sure.”

“Where were you in the days preceding the battle on the Eiffel Tower?”

Ladybug froze. “...excuse me?”

“We don’t know where you were. You could’ve been anywhere, and you weren’t helping the civilian that was in danger like you were supposed to be. For all we know, you were with Hawkmoth!”

He chuckled, but he didn’t sound like he was joking. 

Ladybug’s blood was boiling. It was one thing for her partner to be angry at her disappearance, but for this man, who had no affiliation with her or anything she did, to accuse her of working with Hawkmoth for it? That was an entirely different, entirely inexcusable thing. 

“Where I was,  _ officer _ , was none- and I mean none- of your business. It is not my “job” to protect the city. I’ve done it for years because I want to, and because I care about Paris, but not because it’s my  _ job _ . I’m allowed to duck out at any goddamn point. I have a life of my own that I’m allowed to pursue. Yes, this girl was in danger, but I believe investigating kidnappings falls much further into  _ your _ ballpark, hmm?”

She huffed, and the man in front of her looked terrified. She sighed. 

“Listen. I’ll tell you where I was, but you better understand that you have no inherent right to my protection, and you have no right to berate me for not appearing for a week of life-threatening, dangerous volunteering that I do because I love the city. You understand?”

He nodded, so she went on. 

“I was on an undercover mission to discover Hawkmoth’s identity, since you’re so eager to know. Clearly, it worked, and it was doing my ‘job’, as it ended up saving Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Anything else?”

The officer nodded meekly. “Yes, uh.” He took a deep breath, steeling himself. “What’s your secret identity?”

Ladybug stared. And stared. “...You have got to be kidding me.”

He shook his head. “We’ve got to know, for, uh, official records-”

“If ‘Ladybug’ doesn’t work, tell them my secret identity is ‘Badass Bitch’. I’m out.”

The officer could only stare dumbly at her as she walked away, shaking his head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Look at me, posting within a reasonable amount of time! It's definitely not because I'm avoiding my english essay. No siree.   
Anyways, we are probably coming to a close(soon, not yet). I haven't exactly figured out how to end it, but I'll figure it out, I guess. I also have SOOO many ideas for future fics. It's not even funny. If y'all are interested in them, let me know so I end up writing them instead of just,,, thinking them up, you know?   
Hopefully you enjoy this chapter! I love you all!


	22. 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir gives his interview to the police

Adrien had barely made himself semi-comfortable in his cell by the time the door swung open, shrieking at it’s hinges. Adrien winced, glaring at the looming figure in front of him before shuffling to his feet, dusting himself off. 

“Ladybug testified, kid. You’re free.” Adrien’s eyes widened, and while he was glad to be out of there, his Lady was going to worry him to death, transforming and going out with a concussion like that. 

“Now, uh, Gabriel never assigned a formal guardian for you, so-”

“That’s fine. I’ll be staying with the Dupain-Cheng’s for now, probably, so no worries, I’ll-”

“ADRIKINS!” 

Adrien had helped himself out of his cell at this point, only to be barreled over by a yellow blur. 

“Chloe? What- Why-” 

Chloe brushed herself off, scanning him up and down. “I was having a discussion with that loser over there-” she jerked her head to an officer he didn’t recognize, “-about getting you out of here, since I just got the news that you were being detained in this… filthy excuse for a cell. Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Of course, then Ladybug came out of her interview, and the sergeant came out, but he wasn’t planning on letting you out, despite what they promised Dupain-Cheng.” She huffed, annoyed. 

“So, you know, I’ve been trying not to use my daddy as often, but they were keeping you here like a criminal! So I may’ve-”

Adrien cut her off with a bone crushing hug, and he felt her relax into his arms, sighing. 

“Thanks, Chloe. I… I appreciate it, you know. Now, c’mon, you mentioned Ladyb-”

“Ladybug! Yes, and Adrien, she’s looking pretty beat up- come on, she’s right over here-”

Chloe dragged him by the hand out of the police station and around the corner, where Ladybug was crouched against the side of the building, nursing her head. Adrien’s eyes widened- he knew she shouldn’t have gone out! Sighing, he quietly crouched next to her, putting a gently hand on her shoulder. 

“Ladybug, you alright? You don’t look so good.” He tried to school a look of general concern on his face, but was well aware that he was failing and looked like a worried, lovesick puppy. 

“Oh, ah- Adrien. Glad Chloe was able to get you out- good job, Chloe. Yes, I’m fine. It’s just…” She waved her hands towards the front of the building, “...bright.”

Adrien sighed, pursing his lips. “Chloe, can you call your personal car? Ladybug’s gonna need a ride home.”

“What? No! I’m fine-” She shot up to standing, preparing her yoyo, but found herself swaying in place, Adrien’sarms on her shoulders to steady her. Chloe had her phone out, needing no other instruction, and Adrien’s eyebrows rose. 

“...vertigo?” 

“Hilarious. Now, come on- there’s her limo over there. We’re driving you home.” 

Ladybug had no time to protest as she was led to the car, but she found herself smiling anyways. 

* * *

Ladybug was fast asleep in the car by the time they arrived at Le Grand Paris Hotel. Chloe glanced at Adrien, as if waiting for some direction, and he sighed. 

“We’ll, um, just wait for Chat Noir to come pick her up. She shouldn’t be going out on her own, I bet… I’ll help you carry her up to your suite, okay? And then… I think I gotta go, but…” Chloe nodded, and he gently lifted the sleeping superheroine into his arms. Doing his best to avoid prying eyes, he sped into the hotel, following Chloe’s lead into the elevator. 

The quiet dings as they passed beyond each floor were the only noise in the elevator until Chloe cleared her throat. 

“You know… I don’t know where you’re planning on staying right now, and… well, if you need a place to go, you can come here.” Chloe looked away from him as she said this, but Adrien smiled, pulling his Lady a little closer to him. 

“Thank you, Chloe. I… I’ll consider it. Really.” The door dinged, louder, opening up to Chloe’s private suite. Adrien stepped out, laying Ladybug down on the chaise lounge and making to step away. Of course, he should’ve known it wasn’t going to be that easy- her hand shot out, grasping the material of his t-shirt, and she murmured something that sounded suspiciously like, “Chaton…”

He chuckled awkwardly, glancing at Chloe. “Wow, she must’ve assumed I was Chat Noir… Weird… Anyways, thank you, Chloe. I appreciate your offer. Hopefully Chat Noir will be in soon.”

He returned to the elevator, and Chloe sighed, taking a seat next to her hero and classmate. She let a small smile lift her lips before shaking her head at the dumb heroes. Somehow, they managed to protect their identities from the Ladyblogger, but Adrien was thickheaded enough not to contact Chat Noir to pick Ladybug up? 

Those two would be the death of her, she was sure. 

* * *

Chat Noir showed up not long after, picking up his Lady and thanking Chloe for taking such good care of her. He ran across the rooftops, coming to a stop at her trapdoor. He swung it open, cradling her sleeping form in one arm(really, she could sleep through anything- he would be more worried if he hadn’t seen what the class had done during the #marinettechallenge), and slid into the room, only to find her fretting parents waiting there for her. 

“Oh, thank goodness you found her! We got the text but we were working, and when we saw it she was gone, and she wasn’t at the police station anymore, and-”

Chat detransformed, gently moving Ladybug to her bed. “I think the encounter with the police chief and all the light and noise was a little much for her. Chloe and I found her trying to ignore her concussion around the corner of the station, so I had Chloe call her limo, and she fell asleep while we were driving. Hasn’t woken up since.”

As he said it, Ladybug groaned, muttering, and Tikki flew out of her earrings. “My head…”

Immediately, her parents were at her side, scolding her gently for going out as she snuggled into her covers. Adrien took a seat on the chaise, waiting for her to convince her parents that she was fine, before taking his place at her bedside. 

“Hi there, Bugaboo.” She flicked his nose, squinting at him. “You shouldn’t have gone out. You know that, right? You’re injured, love. Can’t let my favorite girl hurt herself more.”

She groaned again, pouting, before adjusting to look at him. “I couldn’t not go out! They were gonna keep you in that cell, Kitty, and that’s just ridiculous, so I had to- I had to…” She trailed off as Adrien lifted himself into the bed with her, allowing her to snuggle into his chest. 

“Shhhh… I’m here now, love. Go to bed. You need your rest, and you need to promise me that you won’t go on anymore Ladybug escapades until you’re healed enough, okay? Promise me.”

“I… Promise…” Marinette’s words were barely above a whisper, as she was already drifting back into sleep. Adrien smiled softly down at her before planting a kiss on her forehead, gently lifting her off of him and onto the bed. He replaced himself with a large cat plushie, which seemed to satisfy her need for cuddles as he backed away.

“Alright, Mari. It looks like this cat has a testimony to give.”

* * *

  
  


Chat Noir arrived at the police station in no time at all, and he pushed through the doors to the station with no small amount of disgust. Sighing, he stepped inside, leaning on his staff with a smirk on his face while he waited for someone to notice his presence. 

In a few moments, the sergeant walked out from a back area, smoothing his uniform. He didn’t notice Chat as he stared at the ground, fury burning holes in the floor, but at a slight cough from the hero, the man startled and looked up. 

“Oh, Chat Noir! I’m so glad you decided to finally drop in. Are you here fro your questioning?”

“You know it! This pawsome cat is ready to go!” 

The sergeant didn’t smile. “We have a few questions for you, if you don’t mind. Will you give your account of the events of Hawkmoth’s capture? Leave nothing out.”

Chat nodded, giving the story clearly and conscisely. He felt like he had done incredibly well, but when he examined the sergeants face, he looked mutinous. 

“Hm. I see... Ladybug gave testimony about Lila Rossi. What do you have to say about her, other than her part in the capture in Hawkmoth?”

“Ah. You mean the liar? I don’t trust her, and as I’m sure my Lady said, we believe her to be an accomplice of Hawkmoth. Furthermore, though this was revealed at her school recently, she is a compulsive liar with false records at her school. You should check that out, probably.”

The sergeant’s face grew only angrier, but Chat smiled pleasantly back at him. 

“Fine. Well, we have new evidence connecting Adrien Agreste, Hawkmoth’s son, as an accoomplice to the attacks. What evidence do you have to add to his conviction?”

Here, the officer was smiling, a twisted smile that made Chat’s heart stop. “What?”

“Evidence, Chat Noir. ‘Your Lady’, as you call her, got very hostile when we mentioned this and was not cooperative. Wonder what she’s hiding…” He grinned again, as if he hadn’t just insinuated that one of Paris’s heroes wanted anything less than the best for her city. “Anyways, we’re hoping you will be… more cooperative. You were always more the brawns of the operation, anyways, huh? Not expecting any snappy remarks from you.”

Chat glowered. His blood was boiling; his cheeks were flushed. He forced himself to breathe as he very deliberately placed his feet on the table, crossing them at the ankles and leaning back in his seat. 

“What evidence, sergeant?”

The sergeant blinked at him, as if surprised, and he spluttered out some non-coherent reply, forcing Chat to repeat the question. 

“I said, what evidence, sergeant?” The sergeant only glared at him, so Chat continued talking. “Cause here’s the thing. M’lady and I strongly believe that Adrien Agreste had nothing to do with the attacks. There was no evidence when you interrogated her, just hours ago, and there was no evidence when you held Adrien Agreste in a cell for no reason. I will stand by My Lady with this one, and every other question: Adrien Agreste is innocent. Next question, please.”  
The sergeant's face was an ugly puce, but he didn’t comment, instead, he opened his notebook and scribbled something down. Finally, he returned to looking at Chat, who was unfased. 

“Ladybug. She disappeared for multiple days when her city was in need, and therefore we believe her to be a traitor. What evidence-”

“What the hell?!” Chat Noir was on his feet, and for the first time, the sergeant looked a little scared. “Are you accusing Ladybug, savior of Paris, of treachery? The woman who has been saving your life, and many others, every single day since Hawkmoth’s appearance? You disgust me, sergeant. She, as she probably told you, was on a mission for the sake of the city, and you dare accuse her-! You have no right to her protection. She risks her neck, every day, for you and your dumb ass, for no other reason than the fact that she believes it’s right, and your police force should not be relying on a singular young girl’s voluntary service, should not expect it! I am disgusted. Did you ask this to Ladybug? Did you accuse her of treachery to her face, after she nearly died battling Hawkmoth?”

The sergeant looked terrified in that moment, but Chat couldn’t bring himself to care. He was fuming, no wonder Ladybug had passed out on the way home, the sick bastard-

“We have a few more questions for you, Chat Noir, please-”

He growled, but stayed in the room, standing. 

“We need Ladybug and your identities. For the record.”

“This interview is over.”

And with that, Chat Noir walked the fuck out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! It's been far far far too long, I know. I had my AP test last week, so I've been studying a lot, and time kinda just passes in a haze now, sooooo.... Yeah. Anyways, though, I realized I hadn't done much with Chloe, like, at all in this story? Which made me sad so I included her a little bit here.   
In terms of me, I just redyed my hair, which is fun. I've also reread the Harry Potter series, taken my APUSH AP, and I think that's it? But yeah. Quarantine sucks, but I'm making it through. Tell me how you all are doing! Idk if you can dm on this, but if you can, my DMs are open, and if not, feel free to HMU in the comment section- I'm always happy to talk!  
As always, kudos and comments make my day :) LY all!


	23. 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A press conference, and more Lila conniving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicating this chapter to @CidSquid (is that how you do this??) for finishing their APs! Way to go!

The sergeant glowered at his hands. He’d never liked those superheroes, not since they messed up the first day, not since they acted like insolent children when the police force had to fix their mistakes. He hadn’t liked them as they became revered as heroes because clearly, they were just impudent teenagers who wanted attention, and besides, wasn’t it their magical jewelry that was causing the problems? Didn’t Hawkmoth have magical jewelry as well, and wasn’t that the reason the city was under constant attack by a magical terrorist? Yes, if Sergeant Batons had his way, he’d lock all those mutants up. They shouldn’t have shown the world their powers anyways. It was their own damn fault that those akumas had corrupted nearly every person in the damn city-

Still, he had to admit, at first, that the heroes were necessary. After trying(and failing) to apprehend the villain, and the akumatized civilians, Sergeant Batons understood that the heroes had a purpose, however much he resented the fact that his police force couldn’t face their foes on their own. 

And then-  _ and then- _ those damn children, those little brats, started doing goddamned patrols. As if they didn’t think the police could handle common criminals on their own. Ladybug’s face was everywhere, her posters taking the place of previous acknowledgment of the Paris Police Force, and he was furious. The cat was just as bad- he cheekily dealt with criminals they had been chasing for weeks, and lawbreakers ran from him in terror, while they scoffed at the police. Those damn heroes kept stealing the police force’s jobs, and no one else seemed to care. It was enough to get a man akumatized. 

So yeah, maybe he had been a little eager when a tearful girl he had recognized from the Ladyblog came running into the police station, crying about how she had dirt on Ladybug, and how she was a traitor. Sergeant Batons had volunteered to interview her. 

Lila, as she was called, had said she was Ladybug’s old best friend. Batons remembered that from an interview he had seen, back when the Ladyblog posted refutable things and wasn’t a tabloid, so he urged her on. She sobbed about how Ladybug had confided in her about how she was allying with Hawkmoth, how it was all just a ruse for fame, and how she had helped kidnap that girl, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 

_ Of course, _ the sergeant thought, grinning. He had eagerly written down everything the tearful girl had said and dismissed her, though not before taking her contact information. Now. he was staring at that notepad, contempt marring his face. He dialed the number. 

* * *

  
  


Chat returned to Marinette’s room to find her still fast asleep. It had been a little while since his interview, since he had needed to run off some steam, but he was now just glad to see his Lady, sleeping peacefully. He detransformed, taking a seat on the chaise lounge. 

Almost immediately, Tikki whizzed over from somewhere within her holder’s hair. 

“Tikki! How is Mari doing?” Adrien whispered, holding out his hand for the small god to take a seat in. 

“She’s doing well! She misses you, you know. When she wakes, her concussion should be gone- I’ve been working to heal it.” At that, Tikki let out a yawn, and Adrien chuckled, walking to the desk, where Marinette had left cookies for her. Tikki took one, nibbling on it, before smiling up at Adrien. 

“Maybe you should go up and say hello. She’s sleeping, but-” She didn’t need to say anymore, as Adrien was already carefully darting up the ladder to her bed. 

“Hey, princess,” He kissed her forehead, brushing back some hair, “How are you, love?” 

He wasn’t expecting a response, so he started to make his way down from the bed, but he also wasn’t expectng her to shoot her hand out, grabbing his wrist and dragging him back. He let out a sort of strangled laugh as she pulled him back on the bed, still asleep. He soon found himself lying next to her, encapsulated by her arms, which were holding him tightly. Her head buried itself in his shoulder as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, and he heard a mumble of “warm” before she was asleep again, cuddled with Adrien. 

He could not be happier. 

* * *

  
  


Lila showed up to the station, practically glowing. She had been put on house arrest by the other officers, sure, but that was a technicality- she had the sergeant wrapped around her little finger, and if she used a few more carefully placed lies, the heroes would be considered traitorous criminals and Adrien Agreste would be in jail. She still wasn’t entirely sure on how to bring Marinette down with the entire scheme, of course, but she was sure it would come to her in due time- right now, she had bigger fish to fry. 

The scenario wasn’t perfect, and it was certainly going to be messy for her, as she would be cited when they convicted that mangy cat and the ugly bug, but she’d get her revenge. That’s what mattered right now, and as she’d fallen from grace at Francois Dupont, she didn’t have much more to lose. 

Pushing the doors open, she found the sergeant waiting. He beckoned her to the interrogation room, and she followed, flashing a sweet smile to the other officers and batting her lashes. Finally, they arrived, and she smirked as she took her seat. 

“Sergeant! It was such a surprise when I received your call- but I was happy to come in- so, what did you want to ask me?”

The sergeant grimaced. “What evidence do you have for being Ladybug’s best friend?”

Lila balked, but she kept with it. “What- oh! Well, I mean, I assumed you saw the interview I gave for the Ladyblog a while ago-”

“I’m sure you know what the Ladyblog has been saying about you now?”

Lila held in a hiss. Time to turn on the waterworks, she supposed. 

“I- yes, I know. Alya… she used to be my other best friend, you see… and it’s h-horrible, b-but her b-blog isn’t what it used to b-be… the f-final battle and all that… I think the kidnapping of Marinette D-Dupain-Cheng did it, b-but it’s horrible, because I… well, she used to bully me, and I think Alya’s m-mad because I d-didn’t look for her as hard as I should’ve, b-but she w-was so mean and-!”

She hiccuped, and peered through her fingers to glance at the sergeant. His face was impassive, which was unexpected.

“Lila, I’ve seen no evidence so far that Ladybug was a traitor to Paris. Do you have anything other than what she said to you?”

“Wha-what? No! I-”

“Well, Chat Noir was firmly on her side, and I haven’t been given the chance to talk to Mme. Dupain Cheng yet…”

“I can’t believe it- they must all be traitors! Chat Noir- he’s always lazing on the job, making puns, he wouldn’t if he thought his life was in any danger, maybe it was a ploy from the beginning-” Lila knew she was grasping at straws here, but she couldn’t help herself, and was shocked to see the contemplative look appear on the Sergeant’s face. 

“Hmm… I see where you’re coming from, Lila. But are you prepared to make this large of an accusation? And are you sure- are you absolutely sure- that we can find evidence for this? What, for instance, will Mme. Dupain-Cheng say?”

“I-I don’t know, but what if-” She gasped. The idea had come to her. “She’s friends with the superheroes. Maybe- she might’ve been in on it-”

“No, that’s unlikely. Her injuries were too extensive for that to have been voluntary. However…” His eyes glinted with the prospect of ridding the city of the superheroes, and possibly earning a badge or two for himself. “I believe the superheroes are traitors. And we’ll prove it.”

* * *

  
  


Marinette had finally woken up, and it was clear that she was feeling better than ever. She was grinning, and she has excess energy that Adrien would not let her expend by transforming-  _ come on, Purrincess, you just healed, look at what happened last time- _ but she doesn’t really care. No, she doesn’t, because Adrien’s right there, smiling up at her, and she’s okay, she’s free, and they’re together and happy and everything is as it should be.

Almost. 

“Marinette, c’mon, love. We do have to decide when we’re telling the public, yeah?”

She groaned, flopping back onto the chaise. Adrien lifted her up, adjusting her so she was on his lap, and she smiled up at him, but only for a second. 

“Well, I’m better now, and it’s not going to be  _ that _ strenuous… We could do it soon, I guess. Sooner the better, right?”

Adrien nodded unconsciously, threading his fingers through her hair. Suddenly, though, she shot up. 

“Oh  _ god _ , do I have to write a speech? Do we have to write a speech? Are we gonna be judged for how well we speak? Are we going to have to practice? Oh my god…”

Adrien laughed, coaxing her back down onto his lap. 

“You know what? Why don’t… why don’t we call the press conference right now? They can’t stop us. Plus, fewer people, less time to prepare- it’s perfect!”

Marinette stared at him before shaking her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Nope! Entirely serious! Come on, Plagg, claws out-” He paused as he transformed, grinning, “Now, I know I have the Mayor’s contact information here somewhere…”

“Chat! No- Chat- we can’t-”

He blinked at her. “Why not? It’ll get it over with, won’t it? And we both know what happened, don’t we? And it’ll make you stop worrying, right?”

“Well, yes, but…” He raised his eyebrows questioningly at her. “Oh, alright, you dumb cat.”

He cheered, pressing the call button on his staff. “Hey, Andre… Yes, we’re calling a press conference for… 10 minutes from now? Yeah, that’s perfect. Thanks!” He hung up, and Marinette suspected that that Mayor had hardly gotten a word in edgewise. 

“10 minutes, hmm? Well, the press conference won’t start without us… It doesn’t take too long to get there…”

Adrien smirked. “I was thinking the same thing, My Lady.” 

And with that, he swept her into a kiss, and they were most definitely going to be fashionably late. 

* * *

Lila was being seen out by the sergeant when the news of the press conference came. Batons’ face grew white, and it was clear what the problem was- as soon as Ladybug and Chat Noir gave their view of events, they’d have no shot at taking them down. The two hero-haters looked at each other, and a mutual understanding passed between them. They were going to crash the press conference. 

* * *

  
  


Ladybug and Chat Noir swung their way over to City Hall, sneaking glances at each other as they went. As they approached, they saw the crowd that had gathered- it was a large one, with Alya at the front, despite her dropping popularity in the journalism world. They had made sure to text Alya from Chat’s staff to let her know about the conference first, so it was no surprise she had gotten there early. Below them, the mayor worked to calm the reporters, demanding to know where Ladybug and Chat Noir were. 

Casting a look at Chat Noir that was met with a nod, they both flipped down from the sky, landing crouch on the sky. Chat Noir stood, waving M. Bourgeois away. 

“Thanks, Andre, but we’ve got it from here.” The mayor hurried off the stage, looking relieved, as the two heroes took the podium in his stead. 

“Hello, Paris,” Ladybug’s stern voice rang out, silencing the squawking reporters as they scrambled to record what she said. “We apologize for our recent silence. As I’m sure you know, we went toe-to-toe with Hawkmoth, and we did not come away unscathed.”

There was a murmuring there, but it was silenced as Ladybug began speaking again. “I was gravely injured, but I have recovered now. We thank you for your words of concern.” She took a deep breath as she surveyed the crowd, who seemed to all be leaning forward for her next words. “We are glad to be back, and we will be answering as many of your questions as we can today. To start, we’d like to mention Alya Cesaire- the Ladyblogger- who, after I had asked for no civilians to come near the Eiffel Tower during our first fight with Hawkmoth, created fake footage to lead people away from the fight. Please pardon her from your animosity- she acted on my orders and in an attempt to protect Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

A reporter interrupted, now, yelling out: “What happened to her, anyway? Mme. Dupain-Cheng?”

Ladybug stepped back, gripping Chat’s hand behind the podium. He nodded at her. 

“We are not taking questions yet, Monsieur, but Marinette Dupain-Cheng was also rescued from Hawkmoth’s lair after he was apprehended. She was in the hospital for a few weeks, but, thankfully, is on the way to a full recovery.” Chat nodded to the crowd, who seemed appeased, until-

“So he was apprehended then? You got Hawkmoth?”

This time, Chat stepped back, hand squeezing Ladybug’s tightly. 

“Yes. Once again, we are not taking questions at this moment, but we have apprehended Hawkmoth, and a woman we believe to be Mayura. We have been given permission to release their names. Hawkmoth was revealed to be Gabriel Agreste, and we believe that Nathalie Sancouer, his assistant, was Mayura. We have taken their miraculous.”

Whispers broke out amongst the crowd, but before another reporter burst out with a question, Ladybug continued speaking. “We have reviewed the evidence and found that the rest of the Agreste family, specifically Adrien Agreste, were not accomplices in Hawkmoth’s actions. If anything, we believe Adrien to be a victim of Hawkmoth and Gabriel’s behavior. We will be taking no questions on this.”

More murmuring broke out at this, but Ladybug ignored it, squeezing her partner’s hand. He suddenly tensed, however, and she followed his eyes to see the police sergeant and Lila Rossi bounding on the stage.  _ What the hell? _

Chat quickly moved to shield Ladybug from both of them, but she rolled her eyes, moving to the side. 

“Mme. Rossi. Sergeant. A pleasant surprise. However, we’re trying to give a press conference, so if you wouldn’t mind-”

Lila promptly burst into tears, collapsing on the stage. Ladybug’s eyes widened, and she started towards her, but Lila’s eyes widened and she backed away from her, yelling something that sounded something like “traitor”. 

It became startlingly clear that the audience had heard it too, and their murmurs turned to outright yelling. Ladybug set her jaw, turning towards the podium. 

“It seems that we have a disruption. This is Lila Rossi, and this is Sergeant Batons, the man who took our statements about Hawkmoth. Now, I don’t know what exactly she’s accusing me of, but I don’t believe I have any choice but to hear her- them- out.”

Ladybug was glaring at them, but the Sergeant tentatively made his way out to the podium. “Ah, hello, uh, hello, Paris. See, we’ve brought evidence,” He gestured to the crying Lila on the stage, and Ladybug raised her eyebrows, “that both Ladybug and Chat Noir are traitors, who have been working with Hawkmoth.” 

He seemed to expect an uproar at that, but he was mostly met by silence and confusion. Ladybug sighed, retaking her place at the podium. 

“Well, I guess I should give my side of the story. Paris, this is Lila Rossi. You know her from the Ladyblogger’s blog, and since I want to make this quick, I’m not calling her up here, but I can tell you what happened there. A while ago, she claimed to be my best friend in an interview, which was recently taken down with an apology video, as it was discovered that she is a compulsive liar. I also suspect, in her case, collusion with Hawkmoth, and though I’ve reported this to the police, it’s clear they’ve done nothing. Next, here is Sergeant Batons, who conducted our interviews. He,” She snarled, clearly getting angry, “Is not fit to be a sergeant. He asked questions in a manner that implied he wanted to convict innocent people, not to collect evidence. He accused me of treachery, and, finally, he asked for my identity.”

At this, there was an uproar. The sergeant cowered, and Ladybug sighed heavily. “My identity is private for a reason, and the reasons for accusing me of treachery were unsound. Hopefully, we can move on with this press conference. Please let these two rabble-rousers through to the exit.” 

The crowd parted, but only at her command, and, seeing he was defeated, the sergeant hung his head and left. Lila, however, was not so easily removed. With a screech, she launched herself at Ladybug, reaching for her earrings, but with a flick of her wrist, Ladybug restrained her. 

“You! You- you little- you’ve ruined everything! You and that Marinette- you’ll pay, you will, you filthy little bitch!”

Lila’s words caused an uproar, and it was a miracle Ladybug and Chat were able to keep them from storming the stage. 

Sighing, Ladybug spoke into the mic again. “Can an officer come to pick her up, please? I’d like to continue with this press conference.”

An officer, one Chat recognized from the station, raced up to detain the screeching girl. Ladybug sighed as she was taken away, yelling threats, but she hardly cared anymore- she just wanted to get this over with. 

Chat cleared his throat. “Well- right. We’re sorry about that interruption. We’ll be taking questions now. Yes, Alya?”

The day went smoothly from there on out, and Ladybug could not have been more grateful. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I wrote this all today, so I'm sorry if it's not perfect- my brain kinda mushed by the end of it. I think it turned out okay though? Anyways, I think there might be one more chapter? There's not much left to do with this story, but I have other ideas, and I'll be bored this summer, so I might do those. We'll see!
> 
> Also, I loved all your theories about the Sergeant. honestly, he was originally just going to be a bad cop who hates kids, but I decided to spice it up a bit for you guys :). Love you all and good luck with everything going on in your lives! Update me in the comments!


	24. 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end. :)

Marinette slid through her trapdoor, Adrien immediately behind her. It had been another day of reassuring civilians and talking to authorities and politicians and the like, and it was exhausting. They had been promised a break in the near future, but so far, the workload seemed unrelenting, and Marinette was starting to guiltily wonder if fighting a supervillain was easier and maybe preferable to, well, all of this. 

All Marinette wanted at that moment was to curl up in her bed with her warm boyfriend, but she slid off the ladder, sighing. Adrien watched her curiously as she walked towards the miracle box, removing it from it’s hiding place. She had been putting it off, but she knew she had to talk to the kwamis at some point. 

“Adrien, c’mere. I’m going to need your help- they’re exhausting.” Catching her drift, he slid off the bed as well, helping her lay out the individual pieces of jewelry and watching as the colorful kwamis exploded from balls of light, immediately bursting into jibbering, loud messes. 

“Mom-Marinette! We thought you had died!” An orange Kwmai yelled, launching itself at her face for a hug, while another promptly burst into tears. 

“Guys- guys! I’m alright, see? Trixx- Trixx! What are you doing over there? Are you- are you crying?” Marinette asked, bewildered.

“Y-you were in the hospital and you had tubes!” Trixx cried, and all the other kwamis followed his lead, wailing and yelling.

Marinette looked shaken at seeing one of the least-easily shaken kwamis openly distressed about her, so Adrien took the lead. What followed was a 20-minute session of assuring the kwamis that Marinette was alright and that she wasn’t going to leave them again. When they had finally calmed down, Marinette took charge.

“Well, guys, as you know, Hawkmoth was defeated and  _ I am alright _ ,” she said as a kwami opened its mouth with fresh tears in their eyes, “but that means we’ve recovered Duusu and Nooroo! Guys, say hi, and welcome them back, okay?”

A chorus of “hello”’s and “welcome back”’s rang out through the group; Marinette waited patiently for them to subside. 

“Adrien and I will not be returning our miraculous to the box for now, but Tikki and Plagg will happily be visiting you, I’m sure. We may also take out some temporary heroes if a threat arises. Yes, I know all of you have amazing, incredible chosens, but we’re not giving anyone anything permanently yet… Finally-”

A light knocking sounded from the trapdoor. “Mari, Adrien- it’s us. Who’re you talking to?” Alya’s voice came up softly, and Adrien gave her a look of pure panic, but she just sighed. 

“Well, I guess I was planning on telling ‘em anyways… Yeah, come on up, Alya, Nino.” Adrien continued to look at her as if she had lost her marbles, but she just smiled sweetly at him.

Alya pushed open the trapdoor, climbing up into her bestfriend’s room before reaching down to help her boyfriend up. Once they were both standing, Alya turned to see Marinette, sitting casually on the floor, surrounded by…  _ Holy fuck.  _ Were those  _ kwamis? _

Alya’s scream could be heard halfway across Paris, and beside her, she vaguely registered Nino fainting and Adrien catching him before he hit the floor. 

* * *

Once the screaming had stopped and everyone had been revived, Marinette resumed her place on the floor, Adrien beside her. The kwamis had taken their places on her knees, shoulders, and head, and Alya was staring at her, openmouthed. 

“Hi, Alya. Guess I have a lot of explaining to do, don’t I?”

“Wha- Marinette! What the- how do you have- why do you have-”

Marinette cut her off with a laugh. “I’m Ladybug, Alya. What, don’t think your best friend can fight supervillains? I’m offended, frankly.” She smiled cheekily at Alya, who was gaping. 

“...makes sense. Makes so much sense, oh my god,  _ dude _ \- of course, who else would’ve given me and Al a miraculous… but that means…  _ Bro _ , my best bud’s Chat Noir!” 

Marinette had to tackle Alya to keep her from screaming again.

“Shh! Shh! Breathe, Alya, yes, Nino, you’re right, but did you really need to shock your girlfriend like that- oh my  _ kwami _ \- okay. I’m assuming you both want some explanations?” Alya nodded eagerly, looking like a child receiving a bedtime story. Marinette laughed before delving into the specifics of what happened, regaling her human listeners and the kwamis with the tales of Hawkmoth’s lair. 

When she had finished, Alya was in tears, and Nino was sitting still, a shell-shocked look plastered on his face. After a round of questions, Alya sighed, a look of dejection crossing her face.

“I just… I don’t know how to ever apologize, Marinette. I… it was bad enough when you were just Marinette, when I was just hurting my best friend… but I hurt Ladybug too. I can’t imagine what you were going through. I… I was so cruel to you, Mari, we all were, and we were being cruel to an amazing girl who also had the weight of the city on her shoulders, and I… and you- you cleared my name! You didn’t hold it against me-  _ how _ could you not hold it against me-”

Marinette grabbed her friend’s arm, forcing her to look at her. “Alya. Yes, what you did sucked, but we’ve talked about this. You made up for it, and I trust you not to turn on me so easily again. You made a series of mistakes, but that doesn’t mean you’re unforgivable. I wouldn’t have told you this otherwise. I love you, Al, okay?”

Alya smiled a watery smile and tackled her in a hug. “I love you too, Marinette.”

* * *

  
  


Eventually, their two friends left, and Adrien and Marinette were left sitting in one another’s arms. Marinette cuddled closer to Adrien’s chest, and he nuzzled his nose into her hair. She laughed. 

“I really did get lucky with you, didn’t I, Kitty?” She smiled up at him, and he returned it, kissing her forehead. 

“I think I’m the lucky one, Bugaboo.” Marinette giggled softly before they fell silent again, enjoying one another’s company freely. 

“So, Adrien. Have you thought at all about where, uh… where you plan on staying? You’re welcome with us, of course. We just want to make sure it’s entirely your choice as well.”

Adrien smiled softly. He had considered staying at the bakery with the Dupain-Cheng’s- they had certainly been more of a family to him than his father ever had, though that was a low bar- but he hadn’t wanted to impose any more than he already had. He’d also looked into possibly living with Gorilla, but he lived over a thirty minute’s drive away from Marinette, which meant it was an immediate no-no. The mansion was out, because of the memories associated with it, and also the lack of an adult running the place. He really hadn’t had any ideas on where to go until a few days ago, when Chloe had offered. 

“I think I have an idea, yeah. I don’t want to impose more than I already am. And before you say I’m not an imposition-” He spoke quickly, cutting her off, “I know life is a little more difficult with another child around, especially one who happens to be the first kid’s boyfriend. I’m not going to trouble your parents anymore, but I’ll still visit daily. Promise.”

Marinette sighed, snuggling closer to him. He tightened his arms around her, marveling at the girl in his arms, marveling at all they’d been through together. 

“Adrien?”

“Yeah?”

“Wherever you go… will you still come for snacks after dinner?”

“Of course, Princess. How could I turn down such incredible food?” He relished her laugh as she relaxed into his arms. 

“Good. ‘Cause… no matter what…” she let out a minuscule sigh, eyelids fluttering on the edge of sleep, “You’re always welcome here. I love you, kitty-cat.”

“I love you too, Marinette. Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andddddd... That's a wrap! Sorry it took me so long. Current events have made me a lot less invested in this, but I finished it up today, and I wanted to post it. Don't worry, I still have plenty of ideas for things I want to write and I plan on writing them this summer, but I've also been focusing on trying to educate myself on the current situation. 
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking with me through all of this. It's really been a journey, and I NEVER expected this positive of a response on my first fic. I love you all and I'm excited to post my new ideas! I hope you enjoyed this!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is my first fic, and I kinda threw it together in my free time between homework. Hopefully you enjoy the first chapter!  
To be clear, in this universe: Patrols are a thing, and LB and CN alternate on weeknights and patrol together on weekends. I think that's it!


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